Hexagram 10, line 5
九五Line 5 of Stepping
Nine in the fifth place · 履 lǚ
爻辭 The line text
夬履，貞厲。The fifth line, undivided, shows the resolute tread of its subject. Though he be firm and correct, there will be peril.
夬履貞厲，位正當也。'He treads resolutely; and though he be firm and correct, there is peril:'—this is due to his being in the position that is correct and appropriate to him.
In plain words
Line five 'treads decisively; steadiness, yet peril.' This is the ruler of the hexagram, strong, central and correct, the one the Tuan says 'occupies the sovereign place without distress.' Yet its own text adds danger: a ruler who decides with such firmness, from a position no one can check, is correct and still at risk, because nothing resists him. The small Image offers only 位正當也 — the peril comes precisely from the rightness of the place. Zhu Xi reads it as a warning that decisiveness suited to the throne must still hold to steadiness to avoid harm.
If this line is changing
Decide firmly if you must, but remember that no one is in a position to stop you; build in your own check, because being right does not remove the danger.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
- It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
- It belongs to the upper trigram 乾 Qian (the Creative) (heaven).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 2: both lines are yang, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
履 Stepping becomes ䷥ 38 睽 Divergence
Fire rising and the lake sinking: two moving apart. Opposition — good fortune only in small matters; yet difference has its uses, as heaven and earth differ and still work together.
What it becomes38 · 睽 DivergencekuíThe six lines of 履 Stepping
- 初九Nine at the beginningplain treading · simplicity · going alone
- 九二Nine in the second placelevel road · the recluse · inner calm
- 六三Six in the third placeone-eyed, lame · bitten by the tiger · overreach
- 九四Nine in the fourth placetiger's tail · trembling caution · good end
- 九五Nine in the fifth placeresolute tread · peril in correctness · the ruler
- 上九Nine at the topreview the path · signs examined · great blessing
Read 履 Stepping for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine in the fifth place of hexagram 10, Stepping, mean?
- Line five 'treads decisively; steadiness, yet peril.' This is the ruler of the hexagram, strong, central and correct, the one the Tuan says 'occupies the sovereign place without distress.' Yet its own text adds danger: a ruler who decides with such firmness, from a position no one can check, is correct and still at risk, because nothing resists him. The small Image offers only 位正當也 — the peril comes precisely from the rightness of the place. Zhu Xi reads it as a warning that decisiveness suited to the throne must still hold to steadiness to avoid harm.
- What does hexagram 10 become when line 5 changes?
- Stepping becomes hexagram 38, 睽 Divergence: Fire rising and the lake sinking: two moving apart. Opposition — good fortune only in small matters; yet difference has its uses, as heaven and earth differ and still work together.
- Is line 5 of Stepping in its correct place?
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands. It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).