Hexagram 22, line 2
六二Line 2 of Adornment
Six in the second place · 賁 bì
爻辭 The line text
賁其須。The second line, divided, shows one adorning his beard.
賁其須，與上興也。'He adorns his beard:'—he rouses himself to action (only) along with the (subject of the) line above.
In plain words
Line two 'adorns its beard.' A beard has no movement of its own; it goes where the chin goes, and the chin here is the strong third line directly above. This yin line is central and correct, the weak line that the Tuan says 'comes to adorn the strong', and the small Image puts it plainly: it rises together with the one above (與上興也). 朱熹 reads the image as the rule of all ornament — it must attach to substance and move with it, never on its own. The line has no verdict because a beard does nothing by itself.
If this line is changing
Your role here is to set off someone else's substance, not to act independently; attach your efforts to what is solid and move when it moves.
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 離 Li (the Clinging) (fire).
- 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
賁 Adornment becomes ䷙ 26 大畜 Great Accumulation
Heaven inside the mountain: great power held and stored. Firm correctness brings success; serve in public rather than eating at home, and the great river can be crossed.
What it becomes26 · 大畜 Great Accumulationdà chùThe six lines of 賁 Adornment
- 初九Nine at the beginningadorning the feet · walking not riding · integrity first
- 六二Six in the second placeadorning the beard · moving with the chin · ornament follows
- 九三Nine in the third placeglossy and bedewed · lasting steadiness · never overrun
- 六四Six in the fourth placewhite adornment · the white horse · a suitor not a robber
- 六五Six in the fifth placehills and gardens · a modest bundle of silk · stingy but good
- 上九Nine at the topwhite adornment · plain at the end · aim attained
Read 賁 Adornment for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the second place of hexagram 22, Adornment, mean?
- Line two 'adorns its beard.' A beard has no movement of its own; it goes where the chin goes, and the chin here is the strong third line directly above. This yin line is central and correct, the weak line that the Tuan says 'comes to adorn the strong', and the small Image puts it plainly: it rises together with the one above (與上興也). 朱熹 reads the image as the rule of all ornament — it must attach to substance and move with it, never on its own. The line has no verdict because a beard does nothing by itself.
- What does hexagram 22 become when line 2 changes?
- Adornment becomes hexagram 26, 大畜 Great Accumulation: Heaven inside the mountain: great power held and stored. Firm correctness brings success; serve in public rather than eating at home, and the great river can be crossed.
- Is line 2 of Adornment 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).