Hexagram 36 明夷 changing to hexagram 7 師
Changing lines (counted from the bottom): 1, 2, 3.
What to read
Three changing lines: read the judgments of the original and the resulting hexagram; the original is the main one. (Rule set out by Zhu Xi in the Yixue qimeng.)
Judgment of hexagram 36 明夷
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.
Judgment of hexagram 7 師
貞丈人吉,无咎。
Sze indicates how, in the case which it supposes, with firmness and correctness, and (a leader of) age and experience, there will be good fortune and no error.
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 7 師 — judgment
貞丈人吉,无咎。
Sze indicates how, in the case which it supposes, with firmness and correctness, and (a leader of) age and experience, there will be good fortune and no error.
The changing lines of hexagram 36
| Line | Chinese | Legge |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 明夷于飛,垂其翼。君子于行,三日不食,有攸往,主人有言。 | The first line, undivided, shows its subject, (in the condition indicated by) Ming I, flying, but with drooping wings. When the superior man (is revolving) his going away, he may be for three days without eating. Wherever he goes, the people there may speak (derisively of him). |
| 2 | 明夷,夷于左股,用拯馬壯,吉。 | The second line, divided, shows its subject, (in the condition indicated by) Ming I, wounded in the left thigh. He saves himself by the strength of a (swift) horse; and is fortunate. |
| 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). |
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.