Hexagram 16, line 2
六二Line 2 of Delight
Six in the second place · 豫 yù
爻辭 The line text
介于石，不終日，貞吉。The second line, divided, shows one who is firm as a rock. (He sees a thing) without waiting till it has come to pass; with his firm correctness there will be good fortune.
不終日，貞吉；以中正也。'(He sees a thing) without waiting till it has come to pass; with his firm correctness there will be good fortune:'—this is shown by the central and correct position (of the line).
In plain words
Line two is 'firm as a rock; not waiting till the day is out; steadiness brings good fortune.' Yin, central and correct in Kun, with no correspondent above (five is also yin), it is the one line in the hexagram untouched by the general excitement around the ruler at four. 介於石 is being as unmoved as stone; 不終日 is acting on the first sign without lingering — the Xici quotes this line for 知幾, knowing the seed of things before they show. The small Image credits it to 'centrality and correctness' (以中正也). In a hexagram of delight, this is the sober line, and it is the one that sees clearly.
If this line is changing
Keep your own stillness while others are carried away, and when you see the first sign of where things are going, act on it the same day.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin 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 lower trigram 坤 Kun (the Receptive) (earth).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 5: both lines are yin, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
豫 Delight becomes ䷧ 40 解 Release
Thunder and rain: the storm breaks and tension dissolves. Favourable to the southwest; if there is nowhere to go, returning brings good fortune; if there is, act early.
What it becomes40 · 解 ReleasexièThe six lines of 豫 Delight
- 初六Six at the beginningcrowing delight · will exhausted · misfortune
- 六二Six in the second placefirm as rock · not waiting a day · seeing the seed
- 六三Six in the third placegazing upward · regret · too late
- 九四Nine in the fourth placesource of delight · do not doubt · friends gather
- 六五Six in the fifth placepersistent ailment · does not die · riding the strong
- 上六Six at the topdarkened delight · change even when complete · no blame
Read 豫 Delight for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the second place of hexagram 16, Delight, mean?
- Line two is 'firm as a rock; not waiting till the day is out; steadiness brings good fortune.' Yin, central and correct in Kun, with no correspondent above (five is also yin), it is the one line in the hexagram untouched by the general excitement around the ruler at four. 介於石 is being as unmoved as stone; 不終日 is acting on the first sign without lingering — the Xici quotes this line for 知幾, knowing the seed of things before they show. The small Image credits it to 'centrality and correctness' (以中正也). In a hexagram of delight, this is the sober line, and it is the one that sees clearly.
- What does hexagram 16 become when line 2 changes?
- Delight becomes hexagram 40, 解 Release: Thunder and rain: the storm breaks and tension dissolves. Favourable to the southwest; if there is nowhere to go, returning brings good fortune; if there is, act early.
- Is line 2 of Delight 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).