Hexagram 3, line 3
六三Line 3 of Sprouting
Six in the third place · 屯 zhūn
爻辭 The line text
即鹿无虞，惟入于林中，君子幾不如舍，往吝。The third line, divided, shows one following the deer without (the guidance of) the forester, and only finding himself in the midst of the forest. The superior man, acquainted with the secret risks, thinks it better to give up the chase. If he went forward, he would regret it.
即鹿无虞，以從禽也。君子舍之，往吝窮也。'One pursues the deer without the (guidance of the) forester:'—(he does so) in (his eagerness to) follow the game. 'The superior man gives up the chase, (knowing that) if he go forward he will regret it:'—he would be reduced to extremity.
In plain words
Chasing a deer without a forester, one only ends up deep in the woods; the wise person reads the signs and gives up, since going on brings humiliation. Line three is yin in a yang place at the top of Zhen — eager, out of position, with no proper correspondence above (line six is also yin). It wants the prize and has no one to show it the way. The small Image says plainly that one is 'following the game' (以從禽也), led by appetite rather than by knowledge, and that giving up is the superior person's choice because to go on is to arrive at an impasse (往吝窮也). The lesson is about proceeding without guidance in unfamiliar terrain.
If this line is changing
If you are pursuing something without anyone who knows the ground, stop before you are deep in it; letting go now is foresight, not failure.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin line that moves when cast.
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 震 Zhen (the Arousing) (thunder).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 6: both lines are yin, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
屯 Sprouting becomes ䷾ 63 既濟 Already Crossed
Water over fire, every line in its proper place: completion. Success in small matters; favourable to persevere — good at the start, disorder at the end if you relax.
What it becomes63 · 既濟 Already Crossedjì jìThe six lines of 屯 Sprouting
- 初九Nine at the beginninghesitating · staying put · winning the people
- 六二Six in the second placehorses turning back · not a robber · ten years
- 六三Six in the third placehunting without a guide · lost in the forest · better to give up
- 六四Six in the fourth placehorses turning back · seeking union · going is good
- 九五Nine in the fifth placeblocked generosity · small is fine · great is dangerous
- 上六Six at the tophorses turning back · weeping blood · cannot last
Read 屯 Sprouting for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the third place of hexagram 3, Sprouting, mean?
- Chasing a deer without a forester, one only ends up deep in the woods; the wise person reads the signs and gives up, since going on brings humiliation. Line three is yin in a yang place at the top of Zhen — eager, out of position, with no proper correspondence above (line six is also yin). It wants the prize and has no one to show it the way. The small Image says plainly that one is 'following the game' (以從禽也), led by appetite rather than by knowledge, and that giving up is the superior person's choice because to go on is to arrive at an impasse (往吝窮也). The lesson is about proceeding without guidance in unfamiliar terrain.
- What does hexagram 3 become when line 3 changes?
- Sprouting becomes hexagram 63, 既濟 Already Crossed: Water over fire, every line in its proper place: completion. Success in small matters; favourable to persevere — good at the start, disorder at the end if you relax.
- Is line 3 of Sprouting in its correct place?
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).