Hexagram 28 大過 changing to hexagram 62 小過
Changing lines (counted from the bottom): 2, 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 28 大過, line 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.
Hexagram 28 大過, line 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.
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 62 小過 — judgment
亨。利貞。可小事,不可大事。飛鳥遺之音,不宜上宜下,大吉。
Hsiâo Kwo indicates that (in the circumstances which it implies) there will be progress and attainment. But it will be advantageous to be firm and correct. (What the name denotes) may be done in small affairs, but not in great affairs. (It is like) the notes that come down from a bird on the wing;—to descend is better than to ascend. There will (in this way) be great good fortune.
The changing lines of hexagram 28
| Line | Chinese | Legge |
|---|---|---|
| 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. |
| 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.