The Judgement of Hexagram 62 reads:
‘Small overstepping, creating success.
Harvest in constancy.
Allows small works, does not allow great works.
Flying bird calls as it leaves:
The above is not right, below is right.
Great good fortune.’
The flying bird brings a message; this is something that birds do, in old Europe just as much as in China. What does it say? Is it simply elaborating on the advice of the hexagram: you can’t do great works, you’re the small one, so fly low and stay safe?
In other words, should we read this as if it contained quotation marks, and the bird was actually saying, ‘Above is not right, below is right’?
Perhaps. This is a message that a small bird is well-qualified to bring: if it flies up and silhouettes itself clearly against the sky, it’ll surely be shot with an arrow or caught by a hawk. The small birds in my garden seem to have heard the same message: they always fly low from one bush to the next.
However, reading through the moving line texts of hexagram 62, with all their emphasis on the need to ‘meet’, I think there may be more to it. Hexagram 61, Inner Truth, was filled up with conviction. Hexagram 62 is moved by this into action. Now the inwardly-felt truth becomes a message to be carried, a small thing in a huge world.
To carry the message through safely – and deliver it clearly – stay low. What’s the message itself? Yi isn’t necessarily putting it into words.
that is a lovely insight, thanks
Thank you for your e-mail.
I have visited your web site few days ago and admire very much your knowledge of I Ching. Your website is one of the best resources which I have ever experienced.
I would like to share my understanding of hexagram 62 with you as follows.
The hexagram before Xian Guo (62) is Zhong Fu (61). Zhong means ‘the middle’ in Chinese; Fu signifies ‘sincerity & trust’ and ‘to hatch’. The incubation must proceed timely in accordance with the natural scheme; to follow strictly and not to delay, constitute behavior based on sincerity & trust; therefore I regard Zhong Fu as ‘to have sincerity & trust in the heart’ since the heart is the middle and the center of the human body.
Xian Guo (62) in Chinese literally signifies ‘slight excess’, also ‘a small mistake’ and ‘a little bit of overreacting’. It has the image of a flying bird, as the two feminine lines at each side are the wings and the two masculine lines in the middle are the body. Xian Guo is the next and changed hexagram of Zhong Fu (61); after incubation it becomes a bird, the newly born bird needs to practice flying; it is suitable for it to fly low instead of high; it will make some small mistakes before it can really fly high and freely in the sky. Therefore, Xian Guo is suitable to carry out the task on a small scale and isn’t suitable for undertaking a great mission.
The text is translated by me as follows: Xian Guo (a little excess), smooth progress; it is appropriate (or advantageous) to persist. It permits carrying out small tasks, but does not permit undertaking a big mission. The cries from a flying bird; it isn’t suitable to ascend but rather descend; greatly auspicious.
Confucius’s remarks are translated: Xian Guo (a little excess), the small one exceeds and progresses smoothly. Excess counts on that which is appropriate (or advantageous) to persist, and proceeds with the right timing. Tenderness attains the axle center (i.e. the domination position); hence it is auspicious to carry out small tasks. Rigidity loses the post and is not the axle center; therefore it does not permit undertaking a big mission. It has the image of a flying bird; the cries from a flying bird; it isn’t suitable to ascend but rather descend; greatly auspicious; it will be in a state of adversity by ascending but rather smooth progress by descending.
Confucius’s advice to a gentleman: The thunder over the mountain; Xian Guo. The gentleman behaves in a manner slightly overly-reverential, slightly overly-lamenting in mourning and slightly overly-frugal in expenditures, i.e. the thunder passes over the mountain but is still far from the sky, advising to avoid being proud, it would rather be slightly excessive in reverence; to avoid being extravagant, it would rather be slightly excessive in frugality. It can be a little bit overdone in the process of correcting wrong behaviors.
My explanation: The small one (i.e. the feminine line) exceeds (the big one i.e. the masculine line) and it will progress smoothly. It is appropriate or advantageous to persist (in righteousness) and must be done with the right timing.
In the era of Xian Guo, the feminine lines 2 and 5 are tenderness occupying the position of the axle center i.e. the domination position; hence it is auspicious to carry out small tasks. The masculine lines 3 and 4, especially line 4, are rigidity losing their posts and not staying at the axle center; therefore it does not permit undertaking a big mission.
When the cries of a flying bird are heard, the bird has just passed over (Remarks: ‘Passing over a little bit’ signifies a little excess). In the era of Xian Guo, it will be appropriate if the bird descends rather than ascends. In the era of Xian Guo, it is suitable for a gentleman to stay low (i.e. to keep a low profile) instead of high, as ascending is the direction of adversity but descending is smoother.
The small tasks refer to those which people have in their daily life and the big mission is related to that which will have a long and deep influence, and which must be done just right.
Divination reference is given as follows:
A little excess; it will progress smoothly and it is advantageous or appropriate to persist. It permits undertaking small tasks instead of a big mission. It is suitable to keep a low profile; greatly auspicious.
Xian Guo possesses the virtues of smooth progress, benefit and persistence, but excludes origination; with no aspiration or foundation, it only permits carrying out small tasks.
The inner hexagram of Xian Guo is Da Guo (hexagram 28): large excess, signifying that activities must be well restrained, or it will become large excess. Xian Guo highlights practicing and its changed hexagram is Zhong Fu: sincerity & trust in the heart (61), which highlights learning; once sincerity & trust (i.e. faith & reliability) are built via Xian Guo, they are instrumental in overcoming all difficulties and undertaking a great mission.
Best regards
Tuck Chang
Thank you for this!
I especially like the way you refer to lines 2 and 5 as the ‘axle centre’ – that really conveys a strong sense of the function and importance of those lines.
Oh, and the distinction between the small tasks of daily life and the ‘big mission’. (Do you think the hexagram also implies that over time those small daily tasks could add up to a great effect?)
I think that guo can mean more than just making a mistake – as in the Image, which as you say actually advises ‘overdoing it’ a little, going a bit beyond the norms.
Or in the Sequence (xugua) into Hexagram 63: Richard Rutt translates that as ‘one who surpasses [guo] others is bound to arrive on the other side’ while Wilhelm/Baynes has ‘He who stands above [guo] things brings them to completion.’
Dear Hilary,
Appreciate very much your comment.
To my opinion, in the era of hexagram 62, people can overdo a little bit and but this refers to smalls task only.
In the Sequence into hexagram 63: completion, my understainding is: After passing through (guo) things, it definitely completes (the mission). ‘Things’ refer to the former 62 hexagrams and ‘the mission’ signifies unfolding Yi .
The Sequnece is a bridge; after passing through the bridge, it is another era.
Best regards