䷛Great ExceedingDà Guò

The judgment

栋桡，利有攸往，亨

The lake rises over the trees and the ridgepole bends under the load. The weight is real and the beam is curving, so the move has to be unusual, and it happens now.

The image

Water covers the treetops and the roots hold in the dark. What is submerged is still carrying the roof.

The six lines

Read from the bottom up. A line that moves is read here, and read again in the hexagram it becomes.

1. 初六Line 1

   藉用白茅，无咎

   At the very start, lay something soft beneath the load before setting it down, shrinking the risk of what bears the weight.

   Marked in the textno blame

2. 九二Line 2

   枯杨生稊，老夫得其女妻，无不利

   A withered tree sprouts from its base, an older man takes a young wife, a fresh pairing growing from an old root.

   Marked in the textnothing works against it

3. 九三Line 3

   栋桡，凶

   The beam has bent past bearing; adding more will break it, and pushing forward now is forcing it.

   Marked in the textominous

4. 九四Line 4

   栋隆，吉。有它吝

   The beam is propped and bears again, yet other ties remain attached beside it, so support alone leaves work undone.

   Marked in the textauspiciousnarrow going

5. 九五Line 5

   枯杨生华，老妇得其士夫，无咎无誉

   A withered tree blooms without fruit, an older woman pairs with a young man, fine to look at, with little to harvest.

   Marked in the textno blame

6. 上六Line 6

   过涉灭顶，凶，无咎

   The water closed over the head; past saving now, though the loss is not held against you.

   Marked in the textominousno blame

Where each changing line leads

Flip one line and it is a different hexagram. These are the six it becomes.

• 初六→BreakthroughHexagram 43
• 九二→InfluenceHexagram 31
• 九三→OppressionHexagram 47
• 九四→The WellHexagram 48
• 九五→DurationHexagram 32
• 上六→Coming to MeetHexagram 44