Hexagram 39 蹇 changing to hexagram 47 困
Changing lines (counted from the bottom): 2, 3, 4.
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 39 蹇
利西南，不利東北；利見大人，貞吉。
In (the state indicated Kien advantage will be found in the south-west, and the contrary in the north-east. It will be advantageous (also) to meet with the great man. (In these circumstances), with firmness and correctness, there will be good fortune.
Judgment of hexagram 47 困
亨，貞大人吉，无咎，有言不信。
In (the condition denoted by) Khwăn there may (yet be) progress and success. For the firm and correct, the (really) great man, there will be good fortune. He will fall into no error. If he make speeches, his words cannot be made good.
The two hexagrams
Hexagram 39 蹇 — judgment
利西南，不利東北；利見大人，貞吉。
In (the state indicated Kien advantage will be found in the south-west, and the contrary in the north-east. It will be advantageous (also) to meet with the great man. (In these circumstances), with firmness and correctness, there will be good fortune.
Hexagram 47 困 — judgment
亨，貞大人吉，无咎，有言不信。
In (the condition denoted by) Khwăn there may (yet be) progress and success. For the firm and correct, the (really) great man, there will be good fortune. He will fall into no error. If he make speeches, his words cannot be made good.
The changing lines of hexagram 39
| Line | Chinese | Legge |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 王臣蹇蹇，匪躬之故。 | The second line, divided, shows the minister of the king struggling with difficulty on difficulty, and not with a view to his own advantage. |
| 3 | 往蹇來反。 | The third line, undivided, shows its subject advancing, (but only) to (greater) difficulties. He remains stationary, and returns (to his former associates). |
| 4 | 往蹇來連。 | The fourth line, divided, shows its subject advancing, (but only) to (greater) difficulties. He remains stationary, and unites (with the subject of the line above). |
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.