Hexagram 28 大過 changing to hexagram 36 明夷
Changing lines (counted from the bottom): 1, 2, 4, 5.
What to read
Four changing lines: read the two unchanged lines of the resulting hexagram; the lower one is the main one. (Rule set out by Zhu Xi in the Yixue qimeng.)
Hexagram 36 明夷, line 3
明夷于南狩，得其大首，不可疾貞。
The third line, undivided, shows its subject, (in the condition indicated by) Ming I, hunting in the south, and taking the great chief (of the darkness). He should not be eager to make (all) correct (at once).
Hexagram 36 明夷, line 6
不明晦，初登于天，後入于地。
The sixth line, divided, shows the case where there is no light, but (only) obscurity. (Its subject) had at first ascended to (the top of) the sky; his future shall be to go into the earth.
The two hexagrams
Hexagram 28 大過 — judgment
棟橈，利有攸往，亨。
Tâ Kwo suggests to us a beam that is weak. There will be advantage in moving (under its conditions) in any direction whatever; there will be success.
Hexagram 36 明夷 — judgment
利艱貞。
Ming Î indicates that (in the circumstances which it denotes) it will be advantageous to realise the difficulty (of the position), and maintain firm correctness.
The changing lines of hexagram 28
| Line | Chinese | Legge |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 藉用白茅，无咎。 | The first line, divided, shows one placing mats of the white mâo grass under things set on the ground. There will be no error. |
| 2 | 枯楊生稊，老夫得其女妻，无不利。 | The second line, undivided, shows a decayed willow producing shoots, or an old husband in possession of his young wife. There will be advantage in every way. |
| 4 | 棟隆，吉。有它吝。 | The fourth line, undivided, shows a beam curving upwards. There will be good fortune. If (the subject of it) looks for other (help but that of line one), there will be cause for regret. |
| 5 | 枯楊生華，老婦得其士夫，无咎无譽。 | The fifth line, undivided, shows a decayed willow producing flowers, or an old wife in possession of her young husband. There will be occasion neither for blame nor for praise. |
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.