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Generally speaking, a single Chinese character possesses various meanings; the exact significance is unfolded after it is integrated with other characters or from the understanding of its context, for instant, 貞 (zhen), usually and conventionally it is specified in the I Ching as 正而固 and can be understood as ‘to right it and then to firmly maintain it’ or ‘to persist in what is righteous’; however, 牝馬之貞 of hex 2 is taken for 貞潔, i.e. the fidelity of a female horse, and 貞凶 of hex 17.4, to remain unchanged is ominous.
Many sentences of the original text in the Chow Yi are constituted by a group of independent Chinese characters which very often are not arrayed in accordance with the common wording, and sometimes the sentences of one text are seemingly not related to one another either. These are one of the reasons that there are so many interpretations and paraphrases existing in the world of the Chow Yi, even in Chinese. It is meaningless to argue which one is correct or wrong unless we could wake up the writer of the Chow Yi; however there are indeed some interpretations or paraphrases more meaningful and comprehensible, or I may say, closer to the original spirit of those texts.
Theoretically speaking, the enlightenment of a hexagram mainly comes from the phenomena created by its images and the performance of the line concerned; advice can be given according to the images merging or the lines interplaying in relation to a specific question. Chow Yi denominated each hexagram or provided them with texts in following these; it offers a guide line amid all the possibilities; on the other hand, the nomination and text also limit 64 hexagrams within confined categories. People of the later generation did find certain rules for tracing out the significance behind those texts while they were studying Chow Yi, and ten wings is the one which makes such contribution from the perspective of Confucianism. It is not an issue whether the rule is the original one which the Chow Yi writer used, just like meaningless to argue which interpretation or paraphrase is correct. It is an issue of must. As long as the tool is in conformity to the essence of the hexagram and the user knows how to use such a universal rule, to adopt the one suited or drop the one inappropriate according to the text. The paraphrase of the text is not longer like a heavenly steed soaring freely in the sky, and the text itself is a kind of enlightenment even without divination.
I would like to share my understanding of hex 50 with you:
1) Hex 50 is the image of a cauldron by which food is cooked and people are feed; its extended meaning is to nourish and recruit virtuous and able persons, as cauldron is also symbolic of a regime.
2) The hexagram
a) According to Confucius’s remarks on the hexagram text: Tenderness progresses and then moves upward, attains the axle center and then correlates with rigidity, it can be understood that Ding evolves from the hexagram Dun: to retreat or leave for reclusion (33); after reclusion in the dark ages, the feminine line 2 of Dun moves to position 5, the king’s position, where it is in correlation with the masculine line 2, a talented and reliable person. The saint cooks food to worship heaven, and cooks plenty of food to entertain saints and virtuous persons, signifying the cauldron is for worship heaven, however more importantly it is for nourishing virtuous and able persons. The text of hex 50 is great auspiciousness, smooth progress. However please note, the host line, line 5, in charge of this hexagram must be a saint. The virtue of hex 50: Shun and then the ear and eye become clever, signifying the deep penetration and modesty of the bottom trigram Shun (entrance, the wind) enables line 5 to see and hear clearly, like the upper trigram Li (clinging, fire): brightness. Line 5 represents Li: the eye, and is also the ear of the cauldron.
3) The line
a) The upper trigram is the court and those above, and the bottom trigram, civilians and those below. Line 5 at the king’s position is the lifting hole of a cauldron and the lifting bar. The lifting hole is that by which the cauldron can be used, and the lifting bar is that which use the cauldron. Line 6 at the shrine position represents the country and is the lifting bar. Lines 2, 3 and 4 are masculine, i.e. solid, signifies those who possesses talent.
b) Line 4 is next to the king but doesn’t stay at the right position, signifying an able person positioned at a wrong place and doesn’t act righteously; he becomes an obstacle impeding the other able persons below from getting recruited.
c) Line 2, an able person, correlates with line 5, the king, however the king is affected by line 4, getting sick and becoming unfriendly. 仇 signifies an enemy or enmity; my仇 is line 5 which is in correlation with line 2 and unfriendly.
d) Line 3 reaches the position of marching upward from the bottom trigram to the upper trigram. However it has no access to reach line 5 and line 4 stands in-between.
e) Scenario:
The cauldron is cleaned out and refilled with new stuffs at position 1.
Line 2 is a refresh and able person ready to serve the king; however he can’t get recognition; he should be prudent with regard to where to go. The king is ill, this won’t affect him if he doesn’t approach the king, and then he won’t feel discontent.
Line 3 get one step higher and tends to serve in the court; however he has no access; if line 6 changes to the feminine, it will be in correlation with line 6 to carry out its aspiration.
Line 4 will humiliate itself due to its spoiling the job of recruiting able persons.
Line 5 isn’t at the right position; therefore 利貞: it is advantageous or appropriate to persist in what is right, i.e. to recruit and nourish able persons.
Line 6 must well regulate rigidity and tenderness. Rigidity, i.e. masculinity, is needed for lifting the cauldron; however tenderness, i.e. femininity, will create the rain with line 3.
f) Line 5 is a king but not a saint. Line 3 is the only line of hex 50 which stays at the right position. If it changes (to the feminine), the hexagram will become Wei Chi (64) which signifies failure from the viewpoint of Chi Chi: completion (63) changing to Wei Chi: not completed yet.
Best regards
Tuck :bows:
www.iching113.com
Many sentences of the original text in the Chow Yi are constituted by a group of independent Chinese characters which very often are not arrayed in accordance with the common wording, and sometimes the sentences of one text are seemingly not related to one another either. These are one of the reasons that there are so many interpretations and paraphrases existing in the world of the Chow Yi, even in Chinese. It is meaningless to argue which one is correct or wrong unless we could wake up the writer of the Chow Yi; however there are indeed some interpretations or paraphrases more meaningful and comprehensible, or I may say, closer to the original spirit of those texts.
Theoretically speaking, the enlightenment of a hexagram mainly comes from the phenomena created by its images and the performance of the line concerned; advice can be given according to the images merging or the lines interplaying in relation to a specific question. Chow Yi denominated each hexagram or provided them with texts in following these; it offers a guide line amid all the possibilities; on the other hand, the nomination and text also limit 64 hexagrams within confined categories. People of the later generation did find certain rules for tracing out the significance behind those texts while they were studying Chow Yi, and ten wings is the one which makes such contribution from the perspective of Confucianism. It is not an issue whether the rule is the original one which the Chow Yi writer used, just like meaningless to argue which interpretation or paraphrase is correct. It is an issue of must. As long as the tool is in conformity to the essence of the hexagram and the user knows how to use such a universal rule, to adopt the one suited or drop the one inappropriate according to the text. The paraphrase of the text is not longer like a heavenly steed soaring freely in the sky, and the text itself is a kind of enlightenment even without divination.
I would like to share my understanding of hex 50 with you:
1) Hex 50 is the image of a cauldron by which food is cooked and people are feed; its extended meaning is to nourish and recruit virtuous and able persons, as cauldron is also symbolic of a regime.
2) The hexagram
a) According to Confucius’s remarks on the hexagram text: Tenderness progresses and then moves upward, attains the axle center and then correlates with rigidity, it can be understood that Ding evolves from the hexagram Dun: to retreat or leave for reclusion (33); after reclusion in the dark ages, the feminine line 2 of Dun moves to position 5, the king’s position, where it is in correlation with the masculine line 2, a talented and reliable person. The saint cooks food to worship heaven, and cooks plenty of food to entertain saints and virtuous persons, signifying the cauldron is for worship heaven, however more importantly it is for nourishing virtuous and able persons. The text of hex 50 is great auspiciousness, smooth progress. However please note, the host line, line 5, in charge of this hexagram must be a saint. The virtue of hex 50: Shun and then the ear and eye become clever, signifying the deep penetration and modesty of the bottom trigram Shun (entrance, the wind) enables line 5 to see and hear clearly, like the upper trigram Li (clinging, fire): brightness. Line 5 represents Li: the eye, and is also the ear of the cauldron.
3) The line
a) The upper trigram is the court and those above, and the bottom trigram, civilians and those below. Line 5 at the king’s position is the lifting hole of a cauldron and the lifting bar. The lifting hole is that by which the cauldron can be used, and the lifting bar is that which use the cauldron. Line 6 at the shrine position represents the country and is the lifting bar. Lines 2, 3 and 4 are masculine, i.e. solid, signifies those who possesses talent.
b) Line 4 is next to the king but doesn’t stay at the right position, signifying an able person positioned at a wrong place and doesn’t act righteously; he becomes an obstacle impeding the other able persons below from getting recruited.
c) Line 2, an able person, correlates with line 5, the king, however the king is affected by line 4, getting sick and becoming unfriendly. 仇 signifies an enemy or enmity; my仇 is line 5 which is in correlation with line 2 and unfriendly.
d) Line 3 reaches the position of marching upward from the bottom trigram to the upper trigram. However it has no access to reach line 5 and line 4 stands in-between.
e) Scenario:
The cauldron is cleaned out and refilled with new stuffs at position 1.
Line 2 is a refresh and able person ready to serve the king; however he can’t get recognition; he should be prudent with regard to where to go. The king is ill, this won’t affect him if he doesn’t approach the king, and then he won’t feel discontent.
Line 3 get one step higher and tends to serve in the court; however he has no access; if line 6 changes to the feminine, it will be in correlation with line 6 to carry out its aspiration.
Line 4 will humiliate itself due to its spoiling the job of recruiting able persons.
Line 5 isn’t at the right position; therefore 利貞: it is advantageous or appropriate to persist in what is right, i.e. to recruit and nourish able persons.
Line 6 must well regulate rigidity and tenderness. Rigidity, i.e. masculinity, is needed for lifting the cauldron; however tenderness, i.e. femininity, will create the rain with line 3.
f) Line 5 is a king but not a saint. Line 3 is the only line of hex 50 which stays at the right position. If it changes (to the feminine), the hexagram will become Wei Chi (64) which signifies failure from the viewpoint of Chi Chi: completion (63) changing to Wei Chi: not completed yet.
Best regards
Tuck :bows:
www.iching113.com