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Hex 9 (Hsiao Xu) from Confucius's prespective

tuckchang

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Hsiao Xu signifies little storage, feeding and restraint. It is one feminine line (line 4), i.e. the small one, serving five masculine lines, the big ones. The hexagram text states: smooth progress; dense clouds but it doesn’t rain, coming from my border in the west, expressing a kind of anxiety in period of waiting for action, like the small one playing games with the big one, struggling for the goal and requiring wits instead of power. Little storage and feeding can’t lead to a great achievement; furthermore the line text tells us that the small one is not a reliable resource; even if the line reaches position 6, it is ominous for a gentleman to undertake a venture. Till the hexagram steps into hexagram 10: to tread the tiger’s tail, which highlights that people should carry out their tasks prudently in accordance with propriety, i.e. system and order. Then when line 6 of Lu makes review and finds that there is no regret and remorse, it is greatly auspicious and deserves a splendid celebration, as the next hexagram Tay (hexagram 10) is a smooth, unobstructed, harmonious and peaceful state. Its internal hexagram, Da You: abundant possessions (14), exhibits all the big ones, i.e. five masculine lines, belonging to a small one, the feminine line 5, which reveals the ambient of Hsiao Xu. Its changed hexagram is Yu: to take precautions against calamity (16), signifying a contest of power.

The small one serves the big one; the small one might be hurt and it always has fear & worry. The best way is to act with sincerity & trust, and to satisfy the aspiration of the one above, like line 4, the courtier, sincerely & trustworthily sustaining line 5, the king; then it can stay away from all these hurt, fear & worry, and be free from fault or calamity. Thus, line 4: sincerity & trust (are the way) to get rid of the blood and out of fear & worry; no fault (or calamity). Line 4 is the representative line of the inner upper trigram Li which possesses the condensed image of the hexagram Zhong Fu: sincerity & trust in the heart (hexagram 61).

The feminine is small; the feminine feeds the masculine lines, from the viewpoint of the masculine, signifying it is not dependable. On the other hand, the masculine will be restrained by the feminine if it counts too much on the feminine; thus the feminine is not reliable as well.
Lines 1 and 2 commence with the self-reliance of masculinity; thus, both have good fortune. Line 1 correlates with line 4 but it returns to its own norm (or course), what fault (calamity or blame) is there? Auspicious. Line 2 has no correlation with line 4; it is a curbed return; auspicious. Although this is not of its volition but due to the principle of moderation, it returns to and counts on its own masculinity; it won’t be astray. Provided that both lines 1 and 2 change, the hexagram will become Jen: to progress gradually and sequentially (53), signifying a team action like the migration of wide geese.

Line 3 is ridden over by line 4; it counts too much on the feminine and it is restricted by the feminine, resulting in incapability and disharmony, like the wheel spoke apart from the cart; the couple not watching one another (i.e. to fall out). A cart without wheels can’t move. The feminine riding on the masculine signifies the feminine bullying and restricting the masculine; the trigram Kun (submissiveness, the earth) represents the cart and the inner upper trigram Li (clinging, fire) looks like a cart without four wheels. If line 3 intends to occupy line 4 and exchanges positions with line 4, the original inner upper trigram Li will disappear but the inner bottom trigram will become Li. Li represents the eye; the inner bottom Li is the eye with all the lines not at their right places, i.e. the eye ball isn’t at the right position (please see the attached), signifying the masculine and the feminine do not watch each other directly, wherein the couple lose harmony as the feminine can’t bear the load of masculinity.


Line 4 sincerely & trustworthily sustains line 5, and line 5 occupies line 4, sincerity & trust, as if sincerity & trust are bond together; (line 5) to extend wealth to one’s neighbor (i.e. line 4). The masculine is solidity which signifies wealth, and the feminine is regarded as ‘not wealthy’; hence line 5 shares its wealth with line 4 in return for its aid, like a king receiving tribute from those below and sharing his wealth with them in return, so they derive mutual benefit. Provided both lines 4 and 5 change, the hexagram will become Da You: abundant possessions (hexagram 14), signifying a great achievement or merit from the viewpoint that all five masculine lines belong to one feminine line.

Hsiao Xu reaches extremity; the masculine has been fed to extremity and the feminine starts prevailing, wherein line 6 is restrained by the feminine; feeding must stop like the hexagram reaching the end. It rained and stopped; the norm which is advocated (i.e. the feminine feeding the masculine) is still accruing; it is ominous for a female to persist; the moon is almost full; it is ominous for a gentleman to undertake a venture. The masculine and the feminine mating creates rain; the rain stops, signifying the masculine is restrained. The moon represents the norm of the feminine; while the moon is almost full and the feminine is prevailing, it is ominous for a gentleman to take aggressive action since the masculine will be suspected as the feminine, and the gentleman, as the villain.

Best regards
Tuck :bows:
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hilary

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Thanks, Tuck. One question:
Its internal hexagram, Da You: abundant possessions (14)
What do you mean by 'internal hexagram'?
 

fkegan

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Does every hexagram have an internal hexagram or just some clear ones?

Thanks, Tuck. One question:

What do you mean by 'internal hexagram'?

Hi Hilary,
If you look at hex9 without the outer lines (1&6) one might easily see hex 14 in the remaining 4. Not the Nuclear hexagram, but in the line pattern.

Frank
 

hilary

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True. However, I just googled 'internal hexagram' on Tuck's site, and it does seem to be the same as the nuclear hexagram on other pages (31, 47, 63). (Tuck? Just wondering if you have a mistake/ typo here in hexagram 9?)
 

Sparhawk

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I think Tuck is following this thought:

Line 4 sincerely & trustworthily sustains line 5, and line 5 occupies line 4, sincerity & trust, as if sincerity & trust are bond together; (line 5) to extend wealth to one’s neighbor (i.e. line 4). The masculine is solidity which signifies wealth, and the feminine is regarded as ‘not wealthy’; hence line 5 shares its wealth with line 4 in return for its aid, like a king receiving tribute from those below and sharing his wealth with them in return, so they derive mutual benefit. Provided both lines 4 and 5 change, the hexagram will become Da You: abundant possessions (hexagram 14), signifying a great achievement or merit from the viewpoint that all five masculine lines belong to one feminine line.
 
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Sparhawk

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Or you can also look at this thread I started, more than two years ago, about Bao Ti (Bao Gua) and build the hexagram that way.
 

tuckchang

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Hi, Hilary,

You are right; it is a mistake. The internal hexagram which I meant is a hexagram constituted by lines 2,3,4 and 3,4,5 of the original hexagram, i.e, the nuclear hexagram. Thank you very much for correction. I am sorry for the mistake and please accept my correction as follows: The internal hexagram of Hsiao Xu is Kui: alienation (hexagram 38), signifying the small one serves the big one, seemingly in harmony but actually at variance.

I also thank Frank and Luis very much for your advice.

Indeed, Hu Gua (互卦 互: mutual; reciprocal), usually we call it in Chinese, exists in many forms, such as lines 123234, 234345, 345456 or 123345, 234456; I am not familiar with those. To my understanding, all are for collecting more images for enlightenment; what I focus on is the nuclear hexagram and that which I intend to express the scenario of the text of Hex 9, like Chow Wen Wang (King Wen) at the time of imprisonment at Yu Li (羑里), he had to deal with King Zhou while he was waiting for rescue from his people.
The texts of lines 4 and 5 are the norm of the monarch and the subject, and the changed hexagram of lines 4 & 5, Da You (14) is a kind of hint or encouragement to the one that is small at present.

Best regards
Tuck :bows:
 

hilary

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Or you can also look at this thread I started, more than two years ago, about Bao Ti (Bao Gua) and build the hexagram that way.
Luis, that's a brilliant thread, and I completely missed it the first time around. Thank you.
Hi, Hilary,

You are right; it is a mistake. The internal hexagram which I meant is a hexagram constituted by lines 2,3,4 and 3,4,5 of the original hexagram, i.e, the nuclear hexagram. Thank you very much for correction. I am sorry for the mistake and please accept my correction as follows: The internal hexagram of Hsiao Xu is Kui: alienation (hexagram 38), signifying the small one serves the big one, seemingly in harmony but actually at variance.

I also thank Frank and Luis very much for your advice.

Indeed, Hu Gua (互卦 互: mutual; reciprocal), usually we call it in Chinese, exists in many forms, such as lines 123234, 234345, 345456 or 123345, 234456; I am not familiar with those. To my understanding, all are for collecting more images for enlightenment; what I focus on is the nuclear hexagram and that which I intend to express the scenario of the text of Hex 9, like Chow Wen Wang (King Wen) at the time of imprisonment at Yu Li (羑里), he had to deal with King Zhou while he was waiting for rescue from his people.
The texts of lines 4 and 5 are the norm of the monarch and the subject, and the changed hexagram of lines 4 & 5, Da You (14) is a kind of hint or encouragement to the one that is small at present.

Best regards
Tuck :bows:
Glad I could help with the editing, and thank you very much for your post. :)

Over in Reading Circle, someone patiently explained to me about the nuances of meaning of those different hu gua. I can't for the life of me find the thread at the moment, though...
 

heylise

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Luis, that's a brilliant thread, and I completely missed it the first time around. Thank you.
I also missed it, but maybe because I was not yet that much interested in trigrams back then. Great thread! Good old times...

Right now trigrams are my prime interest. But they are not at all simple and direct, like Lindsay says in the beginning of that thread (but not anymore later on). They have an incredible depth of meaning. Especially because they seem so simple at first sight. It is like a Haiku, big image in few words. The opposite of a lengthy description which narrows the meaning down and which is intended to do that.

Water is the medium with which Heaven passes its laws on to everything which exists. Living creatures all contain water, and water resonates with heaven's vibrations and laws. It can keep a vibration for a long time, as if it possesses memory. Shaking it opens it for new vibrations - 51! It fits these vibrations into the reality of earth: form, space, gravity, temperature, and so on. That is how life gets its shape. Water will move along spirals, so organs have a structure of spirals.

Our mind works according to the influence of water. Or rather through water to the influence of heaven and earth.
 

Sparhawk

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I'm glad that "trouble" is not all I do in here, as some claim... :D
 

heylise

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You and trouble?? You are the one who always brings in some sunshine again when everything gets covered by big black storm-clouds.

Maybe that is also hex.9, clouds but no relieving rain. Needs someone like you.
 

Sparhawk

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You and trouble?? You are the one who always brings in some sunshine again when everything gets covered by big black storm-clouds.

Maybe that is also hex.9, clouds but no relieving rain. Needs someone like you.

Thanks LiSe! :bows:
 
M

meng

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Thanks, Tuck. Some interesting relational dynamics here. Among them:

expressing a kind of anxiety in period of waiting for action, like the small one playing games with the big one, struggling for the goal and requiring wits instead of power. Little storage and feeding can’t lead to a great achievement; furthermore the line text tells us that the small one is not a reliable resource; even if the line reaches position 6, it is ominous for a gentleman to undertake a venture.

..and

The feminine is small; the feminine feeds the masculine lines, from the viewpoint of the masculine, signifying it is not dependable. On the other hand, the masculine will be restrained by the feminine if it counts too much on the feminine; thus the feminine is not reliable as well.

Interesting explanation of the unsettled and pending pressure of this hexagram.
 

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