Hexagram 20 觀 changing to hexagram 52 艮
Changing lines (counted from the bottom): 3, 5.
What to read
Two changing lines: read both line texts of the original hexagram; the upper one is the main one. (Rule set out by Zhu Xi in the Yixue qimeng.)
Hexagram 20 觀, line 5
觀我生，君子无咎。
The fifth line, undivided, shows its subject contemplating his own life(-course). A superior man, he will (thus) fall into no error.
Hexagram 20 觀, line 3
觀我生，進退。
The third line, divided, shows one looking at (the course of) his own life, to advance or recede (accordingly).
The two hexagrams
Hexagram 20 觀 — judgment
盥而不薦，有孚顒若。
Kwân shows (how he whom it represents should be like) the worshipper who has washed his hands, but not (yet) presented his offerings;—with sincerity and an appearance of dignity (commanding reverent regard).
Hexagram 52 艮 — judgment
艮其背，不獲其身，行其庭，不見其人，无咎。
When one's resting is like that of the back, Kăn he loses all consciousness of self; when he walks in his courtyard, and does not see any (of the persons) in it,—there will be no error.
The changing lines of hexagram 20
| Line | Chinese | Legge |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | 觀我生，進退。 | The third line, divided, shows one looking at (the course of) his own life, to advance or recede (accordingly). |
| 5 | 觀我生，君子无咎。 | The fifth line, undivided, shows its subject contemplating his own life(-course). A superior man, he will (thus) fall into no error. |
English: James Legge (1882), public domain. Chinese: Zhou Yi.
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.