Hexagram 62: 小過 (xiǎo guò)
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.
Commentary on the judgment (彖傳)
小過，小者過而亨也。過以利貞，與時行也。柔得中，是以小事吉也。剛失位而不中，是以不可大事也。有飛鳥之象焉，有飛鳥遺之音，不宜上宜下，大吉；上逆而下順也。
The image (大象)
山上有雷，小過；君子以行過乎恭，喪過乎哀，用過乎儉。
The six lines
| Line | Chinese | Legge | Changes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 – – | 弗遇過之，飛鳥離之，凶，是謂災眚。 | The sixth line, divided, shows its subject not meeting (the exigency of his situation), and exceeding (his proper course). (It suggests the idea of) a bird flying far aloft. There will be evil. The case is what is called one of calamity and selfproduced injury. | 56 |
| 5 – – | 密雲不雨，自我西郊，公弋取彼在穴。 | The fifth line, divided, (suggests the idea) of dense clouds, but no rain, coming from our borders in the west. It also (shows) the prince shooting his arrow, and taking the bird in a cave. | 31 |
| 4 — | 无咎，弗過遇之。往厲必戒，勿用永貞。 | The fourth line, undivided, shows its subject falling into no error, but meeting (the exigency of his situation), without exceeding (in his natural course). If he go forward, there will be peril, and he must be cautious. There is no occasion to be using firmness perpetually. | 15 |
| 3 — | 弗過防之，從或戕之，凶。 | The third line, undivided, shows its subject taking no extraordinary precautions against danger; and some in consequence finding opportunity to assail and injure him. There will be evil. | 16 |
| 2 – – | 過其祖，遇其妣；不及其君，遇其臣；无咎。 | The second line, divided, shows its subject passing by his grandfather, and meeting with his grandmother; not attempting anything against his ruler, but meeting him as his minister. There will be no error. | 32 |
| 1 – – | 飛鳥以凶。 | The first line, divided, suggests (the idea of) a bird flying, (and ascending) till the issue is evil. | 55 |
Lines are numbered from the bottom. Each line page shows the line text with its small image commentary; each “changes to” link opens the reading for that changing line.
Related hexagrams
- Opposite (every line changed): hexagram 61 · reading
- Nuclear (lines 2–4 and 3–5): hexagram 28
English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East vol. 16 (1882) — public domain; OCR text of the 1882 printing, checked against the proofread hexagrams. Chinese: Zhou Yi from Chinese Wikisource.
Character glossary
- 亨hēngprospering, going smoothly
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
- 貞zhēnvirtuous, chaste, pure; loyal
- 可kěmay, can, -able; possibly
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 事shìaffair, matter, business; to serve; acci
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 飛fēito fly, to dart; high
- 鳥niǎobird
- 遺yíto lose; a lost article
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 音yīnsound, tone, pitch, pronunciation
- 宜yífitting, proper, right; what one should
- 上shàngabove, on top, superior; to go up; to at
- 下xiàbelow, underneath; inferior; to bring do
- 吉jílucky, propitious, good
- 以yǐaccording to; so as to; because of; then
- 凶xiōngculprit; murder; bad, sad
- 過guòpass; to go across, to pass through
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 祖zǔancestor, forefather; grandfather; surna
- 遇yùto meet, to encounter, to come across
- 妣bǐone's deceased mother
- 及jíto extend; to reach; and; in time
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 臣chénminister, statesman, official, vassal
- 无wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 咎jiùfault, defect; error, mistake
- 弗fúnot, negative
- 防fángto protect, to defend, to guard against
- 從cóngfrom, by, since, whence, through
- 或huòor, either, else; maybe, perhaps, possib
- 戕qiāngto kill, to slay; to wound, to injure
- 往wǎngto go, to depart; past, former
- 厲lìwhetstone; to grind, to sharpen, to whet
- 必bìsurely, certainly; must; will
- 戒jièto warn, to admonish; to swear off, to a
- 勿wùmust not, do not; without, never
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 永yǒnglong; perpetual, eternal; forever
- 密mìsecret, confidential; intimate, close; d
- 雲yúncloud; to say, to speak
- 雨yǔrain
- 自zìself; private, personal; from
- 我wǒI, me, my; our, us
- 西xīwest, western, westward
- 郊jiāosuburbs, outskirts; wasteland, open spac
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 弋yìto catch, to arrest; to shoot with a bow
- 取qǔto take, to receive, to obtain; to selec
- 彼bǐthat, those, the other
- 在zàiat, in, on; to exist; used to indicate t
- 穴xuécave, den, hole
- 離lírare beast; strange; elegant
- 是shìto be; indeed, right, yes; okay
- 謂wèito call, to say, to tell; name, title; m
- 災zāidisaster, catastrophe, calamity
- 眚shěngcataract; fault, error, crime
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.