Trigrams
☶☱ – Mountain above, Lake below
Meaning
Represents the principle of decrease and the wisdom of simplification. What is below decreases to add to what is above. Voluntary reduction, restraint, and offering something up for the good of the whole can be deeply auspicious when done with sincere devotion.
Interpretation
- Willingly accepting decrease and simplification can be a form of strength.
- Even a modest offering made with genuine sincerity has great worth.
- Reduce excess and redirect energy where it is truly needed.
Six Yao (Lines) with Classical Quotes
1st Yao (初爻)
已事遁往，无咎，酬损之。
English: Completing one's own affairs and then quickly going to help — no blame. But consider how much to reduce. Prompt generous assistance, calibrated to what is genuinely needed.
Luck Level: Neutral
2nd Yao (二爻)
利贞，征凶，弗损，益之。
English: Beneficial to persist. Going on a campaign is misfortune. Do not decrease; rather increase it. Hold your position and add rather than take away.
Luck Level: Misfortune
3rd Yao (三爻)
三人行则损一人，一人行则得其友。
English: Three people walking, one will be lost. One person walking alone finds a companion. The law of complementary balance — groups simplify; individuals connect.
Luck Level: Neutral
4th Yao (四爻)
损其疾，使遁有喜，无咎。
English: Decreasing one's ailments, making the other person quickly joyful — no blame. Reducing what is excessive within oneself brings joy to others.
Luck Level: Neutral
5th Yao (五爻)
或益之，十朋之龟弗克违，元吉。
English: Someone increases it; ten pairs of tortoise shells cannot oppose it — great good fortune. When blessings flow, they come from all directions and nothing can prevent them.
Luck Level: Excellent
6th Yao (上爻)
弗损，益之，无咎，贞吉，利攸往，得臣无家。
English: No decrease, but increase — no blame, persistence brings good fortune. Beneficial to go somewhere. A minister is found without family considerations. Acting without personal gain and serving the whole brings the greatest results.
Luck Level: Good