䷼ moves even pigs and fish, and leads to good fortune. There will be advantage in crossing the great stream. There will be advantage in being firm and correct.
䷼, the name of this hexagram, may be represented in English by Inmost Sincerity. It denotes the highest quality of man, and gives its possessor power so that he prevails with spiritual beings, with other men, and with the lower creatures. There are two divided lines in the centre and two undivided below them and above them. The divided lines in the centre are held to represent the heart or mind free from all pre-occupation, without any consciousness of self; and the undivided lines, on each side of it, in the centre of the constituent trigrams are held to denote the solidity of the virtue of one so free from selfishness. There is no unreality in it, not a single flaw.
The authors give no instance of the affecting, of pigs and fishes by sincerity, and say that these names are symbolical of men, the rudest and most unsusceptible of being acted on. The Text says that the man thus gifted with sincerity will succeed in the most difficult enterprises. Remarkable is the concluding sentence that he must be firm and correct.
- In ䷼ we have the two weak lines in the innermost part of the figure, and strong lines occupying the central places in the trigrams ☱ ☴. We have the attributes of pleased satisfaction and flexible penetration. Sincerity thus symbolled will transform a country.
- Pigs and fish are moved, and there will be good fortune; sincerity reaches to and affects even pigs and fishes. There will be advantage in crossing the great stream; we see in the figure one riding on the emblem of wood, which forms an empty boat.
- In the exercise of the virtue denoted by ䷼, it is said that there will be advantage in being firm and correct; in that virtue indeed we have the response of man to Heaven.
The structure of the lineal figure which is here insisted on has been pointed out in explaining the judgment. On what is further said as to the attributes of the trigrams and their effect; We have in the sincerity shown in the upper trigram ☴ superiors condescending to those below them in accordance with their peculiarities, and we have in that of the lower those below delighted to follow their superiors. The combination of these two things leads to the transformation of the country and state.
The two divided lines in the middle of the figure are supposed to give the semblance of an empty boat, and an empty boat, it is said with doubtful truth, is not liable to be upset. The trigram ☴ symbolises both wind and wood. Sincerity is the way of Heaven. The attainment of sincerity is the way of men.
The trigram representing ☱ the waters of a marsh and ☴ that for wind above it form ䷼. The superior man, in accordance with this, deliberates about cases of litigation and delays the infliction of death.
The wind penetrates things. The grass and trees of the level ground are shaken and tossed by it; the rocky valleys and caverns in their sides have it blowing round about them; and it acts also on the depths of the collected waters, the cold of which disappears and the ice is melted before it. This is what makes it the emblem of that perfect sincerity which penetrates everywhere. The litigations of the people are like the deep and dark places of the earth. The kings examine with discrimination into all secret matters connected with them; even those which are here mentioned, till there is nothing that is not penetrated by their perfect sincerity. But all this is greatly strained. The symbolism of the eight trigrams gets pretty well played out in the course of the 64 hexagrams.
- The first line, undivided, shows its subject resting in himself. There will be good fortune. If he sought to any other, he would not find rest.
The first line, undivided, shows its subject resting (in himself). There will be good fortune; no change has yet come over his purpose.
The ordinary view makes the other to whom the subject of line 1 looks or might look to be the subject of 4; but they contend that, excepting in the case of 3 and 6, the force of correlation should be discarded from the study of this hexagram; for the virtue of sincerity is all centred in itself, thence derived and thereby powerful. No change has come over the purpose; the sincerity, that is, perfect in itself and of itself, continues.
- The second line, undivided, shows its subject like the crane crying out in her hidden retirement, and her young ones responding to her. It is as if it were said, I have a cup of good spirits, and the response were, I will partake of it with you.
Her young ones respond to her; from the common wish of the inmost heart.
The young ones of the crane' are represented by line 1. In the third and fourth sentences we have the symbolism of two men brought together by their sympathy in virtue. The subject of the paragraph is the effect of sincerity. One bond of loving regard unites the mother bird and her young; so answers the heart of man to man.
- The third line, divided, shows its subject having met with his mate. Now he beats his drum, and now he leaves off. Now he weeps, and now he sings.
Now he beats his drum, and now he leaves off; the position of the line is the appropriate one for it.
The mate of line 3 is 6. The principle of correlation comes in. Sincerity, not left to itself, is influenced from without, and hence come the changes and uncertainty in the state and moods of the subject of the line.
- The fourth line, divided, shows its subject like the moon nearly full, and like a horse in a chariot whose fellow disappears. There will be no error.
A horse the fellow of which disappears; he breaks from his former companions, and mounts upwards.
Line 4 is weak, and in its correct place. The subject of it has discarded the correlate in 1, and hastens on to the confidence of the ruler in 5, being symbolised as the moon nearly full. The other symbol of the horse whose fellow has disappeared has reference to the discarding of the subject of 1. Anciently chariots and carriages were drawn by four horses, two outsides and two insides. Lines 1 and 4 were a pair of these; but 1 disappears here from the team, and 4 goes on and joins 5.
- The fifth line, undivided, shows its subject perfectly sincere, and linking (others) to him in closest union. There will be no error.
He is perfectly sincere, and links others to him in closest union; the place (of the line) is the correct and appropriate one.
Line 5 is strong and central, in the ruler's place. Its subject must be the sage on the throne, whose sincerity will go forth and bind all in union with himself.
- The topmost line, undivided, shows its subject in chanticleer trying to mount to heaven. Even with firm correctness there will be evil.
Chanticleer tries to mount to heaven; but how can such an effort continue long?
Line 6 should be divided, but is undivided; and coming after 5, what can the subject of it do? His efforts will be ineffectual, and injurious to himself. He is symbolised by a cock, literally, the plumaged voice. But a cock is not fitted to fly high, and in attempting to do so will only suffer hurt.