NAME and IMAGE #2
NAME and IMAGE #2
the 34 hexagrams of the second part of the Book of Changes
The text of this post has been translated from Dutch to English with DeepL. It will be manually edited and streamlined soon
Every two consecutive chapters always form a pair: the Book of Change thus comprises 32 of these pairs. The two paired hexagrams are each other's opposite. The line pattern of one is reversed in its entirety to form the hexagram it is paired with. Also, their meanings are opposite and complementary.
There are eight hexagrams constructed symmetrically. If you reverse their line pattern, the result is identical. This is the case with: 1. Initiating 2. Response
27. Jaws 28. Great Exceeding 29. Dark 30 Light 61. Inner Truth 62. Little Exceeding. They form four pairs in which their six lines are mirrored: yin lines turn into yang, yang lines turn into yin. The illustrations of these four pairs in the text below (and in that of Name and Image #1) have a yellow background colour.
The illustrations of the 28 pairs where the hexagrams are each other's reversals have a blue background colour.
The second part of the I Ching - chapters 31 to 64 - opens with the two chapters on the foundation of interpersonal relationships: chapter 31. Resonance or Mutual Attraction and chapter 32. Long Lasting or Enduring. After ten more chapters follow chapter 41. Decrease and chapter 42. Increase. The second part ends appropriately for a book about incessant change with chapter 63. It’s done or After the Completion and chapter 64. Back to square one or Before the Completion.
chapter 31. RESONANCE - Lake above Mountain
the youngest daughter and the youngest son - the attraction between two young people - the image of Resonance
chapter 32. LONG LASTING - Thunder over Wind
the eldest son and the eldest daughter - the enduring relationship between two older people - the image of Long Lasting
chapter 33. RETREAT: Mountain under Heaven
an image of a cave - mountains under a vast sky - the place where hermits retreated
chapter 34. GREAT STRENGTH: Thunder over Heaven
father and the eldest son - male power
chapter 35. STRAIGHT FORWARD - Fire above Earth
the sun straight above - the sun at its highest place - the sun above Earth
chapter 36. DARKENING OF THE LIGHT - Fire under Earth
the light has disappeared - the sun has set - night - winter
chapter 37. FAMILY - Wind above Fire
a warm wind - the familiar warmth of a family, of a clan
chapter 38. ESTRANGEMENT - Fire above Lake
Fire moves up - Lake moves down - they separate - the image of Estrangement
chapter 39. OBSTACLE - Water over Mountain
a snowy mountain pass - fog in the mountains - the barrier of mountains and rivers - the image of Obstacle
obstacle #1
chapter 40. LIBERATION - Water under Thunder
a refreshing thunderstorm
chapter 41. DECREASE - Lake below Mountain
melt and rain water from the mountains collects in a lake - water from the lake evaporates, condenses and falls as precipitation in the mountains - in both cases something reduces
chapter 42. INCREASE - Wind above Thunder
wind and thunder reinforce each other - the image of Increase
chapter 43. BREAK-THROUGH - Lake above Heaven
the upper yin line is about to disappear
chapter 44. ENCOUNTER - Heaven above Wind
the lower yin line is about to enter
chapter 45. GATHERING - Lake above Earth
water gathers on earth - water gathers in a lake
chapter 46. GROWING UPWARD - Earth above Wind / Wood
plants and trees grow upwards from the earth
chapter 47. EXHAUSTION - Water under Lake
water is under the lake - water leaks away - the image of Exhaustion
chapter 48. REGENERATION - Water above Wind / Wood
rain falls on the green - watering plants - irrigation - the image of regeneration
regeneration #1
chapter 49. LEAVING THE OLD BEHIND - Fire under Lake
fire evaporates water - water extinguishes fire - image of transformation from old to new
leaving the old behind #1
chapter 50. AMBRACING THE NEW - Fire above Wind / Wood
wood as fuel for fire - the image of (spiritual) nourishment
chapter 51. ACTION - twice the Thunder trigram
a sudden start - a shock - the image of Action
chapter 52. KEEPING STILL - twice the Mountain trigram
stable and unruffled - the image of Keeping Still
chapter 53. GRADUALLY - Wind / Wood over Mountain
an old tree on a mountainside or mountaintop - grown slowly and gradually
chapter 54. SUBORDINATE - Thunder over Lake
the eldest son over the youngest daughter - the image of being married off and being subordinate
chapter 55. ABUNDANCE - Thunder over Fire
thunder and lightning - the image of Abundance
chapter 56. GUEST - Fire over Mountain
on a mountaintop there is limited fuel - the fire has a limited duration - the resources of a traveller or a guest are limited
chapter 57. GENTLE FORCE - twice the Wind trigram
the influence of wind is gentle but penetrating - the growth of plants, above and below ground is gentle but penetrating
chapter 58. JOY - twice the Lake trigram
mirroring - reflecting back - relativising - confronting through humour - the image of the Lake
chapter 59. DISPERSING - Wind over Water
waves and foam - the image of Dispersing
chapter 60. DISCIPLINE - Water over Lake
water in a basin - embankment and boundary of water - the image of limitation and Discipline
chapter 61. INNER TRUTH - Wind over Lake
wind moves the surface of the water - gentleness and joy combined - the hexagram as an open centre
chapter 62. LITTLE EXCEEDING - Thunder over Mountain
the image of the hexagram is top-heavy and unbalanced - compared to chapter 28. Great Exceeding this imbalance is only small and necessary to make life move
chapter 63. IT’S DONE - Water above Fire
Fire moves up - Water moves down - they meet in the middle. This is the perfect positioning of the two trigrams, just as in chapter 11. Progress. There is also a perfect blend between the yang lines of chapter 1. Creation and the yin lines of chapter 2. Response: starting from the lowest yang line follows a succession of lines that has perfect alternation and rhythm.
chapter 64. BACK TO SQUARE ONE - Fire over Water
When you want to cook something, Fire over Water is an impossible arrangement. Fire moves up - Water moves down - they move apart instead of towards each other, just like in chapter 12. Standstill. The six lines form a mix of chapter 1. Creation and chapter 2. Response, but are completely out of sync. Instead of an initiating yang line at the bottom, there is an yin line. Whereas chapter 63. It’s Done or Accomplished outlines an ideal situation - with this finishing chapter 64. Back to Square One or Not Yet Accomplished the whole game of change begins again!