Hexagram 28, Dà Guò (Great Exceeding): Line 5

大过卦九五 · 泽风大过 · 中文版

九五:枯杨生华,老妇得其士夫,无咎无誉。

The line (Legge)

The fifth NINE, undivided, shows a decayed willow producing flowers, or an old wife in possession of her young husband. There will be occasion neither for blame nor for praise.

Small Image commentary

'A decayed willow produces flowers:' - but how can this secure its long continuance? 'An old wife and a young husband:' - this also is a thing to be ashamed of.

象曰:枯杨生华,何可久也?老妇士夫,亦可丑也。

In plain words

A withered poplar flowers; an old woman takes a young husband: no fault and no praise. The fifth line is next to the top line: yang attaches to aged yin, flowering without bearing fruit, and it cannot last. The Small Image asks how a withered poplar's flowering could last, and calls the match shameful.

Applying it to your situation

If something looks lively but lacks roots, this line suggests asking how long it can last. Has this borne any real fruit?

Position

A solid (yang) line in the fifth place, which is a yang (odd) place, so it is in its proper place. It holds the centre of the upper trigram. Its partner is line 2; both are yang, so they do not respond.

If this line moves

With this line moving alone, Dà Guò changes into Hexagram 32 Héng (Duration). The Jiaoshi Yilin verse for this change (Chinese): 焦氏易林·大过之恒.

The hexagram

Hexagram 28 Dà Guò (Great Exceeding). The Judgment: Da Guo suggests to us a beam that is weak. There will be advantage in moving (under its conditions) in any direction whatever; there will be success.

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English text: James Legge, The Yi King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16, 1882), public domain, as transcribed by the Chinese Text Project. Chinese: the received text. Offered for study and reflection, not as prediction. Plain-English readings and position notes by this site.

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