Hexagram 36 明夷 changing to hexagram 27 頤
Changing lines (counted from the bottom): 3, 6.
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 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.
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).
The two hexagrams
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.
Hexagram 27 頤 — judgment
貞吉。觀頤，自求口實。
Î indicates that with firm correctness there will be good fortune (in what is denoted by it). We must look at what we are seeking to nourish, and by the exercise of our thoughts seek for the proper aliment.
The changing lines of hexagram 36
| Line | Chinese | Legge |
|---|---|---|
| 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). |
| 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. |
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.