Hexagram 22, line 3
九三Line 3 of Adornment
Nine in the third place · 賁 bì
爻辭 The line text
賁如濡如，永貞吉。The third line, undivided, shows its subject with the appearance of being adorned and bedewed (with rich favours). But let him ever maintain his firm correctness, and there will be good fortune.
永貞之吉，終莫之陵也。'The good fortune consequent on his ever maintaining firm correctness' is due to this,—that to the end no one will insult him.
In plain words
Line three is 'adorned and glistening, as if bedewed': the strong line at the top of Li with a yielding line on either side, line two below and line four above, both lending it their grace. It is the most richly ornamented position in the hexagram, yang in a yang place and at the height of brightness. The text's condition is 'lasting steadiness brings good fortune', and the small Image explains what steadiness buys: in the end no one will overrun him (終莫之陵也). 程頤 warns that a man so favoured is tempted to melt into the pleasures around him; the ornament is safe only if he stays firm beneath it.
If this line is changing
You are well placed and well regarded; keep the substance under the polish steady for the long run, and no one will be able to push you aside.
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 belongs to the lower trigram 離 Li (the Clinging) (fire).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 6: both lines are yang, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
賁 Adornment becomes ䷚ 27 頤 Jaws / Nourishment
Thunder at the foot of the mountain, in the shape of open jaws: nourishment. Correct nourishing brings good fortune — watch what you feed yourself and others, and what comes out of your mouth.
What it becomes27 · 頤 Jaws / NourishmentyíThe 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 Nine in the third place of hexagram 22, Adornment, mean?
- Line three is 'adorned and glistening, as if bedewed': the strong line at the top of Li with a yielding line on either side, line two below and line four above, both lending it their grace. It is the most richly ornamented position in the hexagram, yang in a yang place and at the height of brightness. The text's condition is 'lasting steadiness brings good fortune', and the small Image explains what steadiness buys: in the end no one will overrun him (終莫之陵也). 程頤 warns that a man so favoured is tempted to melt into the pleasures around him; the ornament is safe only if he stays firm beneath it.
- What does hexagram 22 become when line 3 changes?
- Adornment becomes hexagram 27, 頤 Jaws / Nourishment: Thunder at the foot of the mountain, in the shape of open jaws: nourishment. Correct nourishing brings good fortune — watch what you feed yourself and others, and what comes out of your mouth.
- Is line 3 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.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).