Hexagram 36, line 4
六四Line 4 of Brightness Hidden
Six in the fourth place · 明夷 míng yí
爻辭 The line text
入于左腹，獲明夷之心，于出門庭。The fourth line, divided, shows its subject (just) entered into the left side of the belly (of the dark land). (But) he is able to carry out the mind appropriate (in the condition indicated by) Ming Î, quitting the gate and courtyard (of the lord of darkness).
入于左腹，獲心意也。'He has (just) entered into the left side of the belly (of the dark land):'—he is still able to carry out the idea in his (inner) mind.
In plain words
Entering the left side of the belly, grasping the heart of the darkness, and going out through the gate and courtyard. Line four is yin in its correct place, the first line of Kun, the dark upper trigram, and the closest neighbour of the lines around the tyrant at the top. It is inside — it sees how the darkness thinks — and because it sees, it can get out before it is swallowed. Commentators read it as Weizi, the prince who understood the ruler's mind and departed. The small Image: 'he grasps the intention of the heart' (獲心意) — knowledge of the dark is what makes the exit possible.
If this line is changing
Once you truly understand what you are dealing with on the inside, use that understanding to leave quietly and by the front door; there is nothing more to learn by staying.
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 belongs to the upper trigram 坤 Kun (the Receptive) (earth).
- It corresponds (應) with line 1: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
明夷 Brightness Hidden becomes ䷶ 55 豐 Plenty
Thunder and lightning together: abundance. The king reaches it; no sorrow — be like the sun at noon. But the sun at noon begins to set: fullness is a moment, not a possession.
What it becomes55 · 豐 PlentyfēngThe six lines of 明夷 Brightness Hidden
- 初九Nine at the beginningdrooping wings · leaving early · going hungry
- 六二Six in the second placewounded in the thigh · a strong horse · King Wen
- 九三Nine in the third placehunting in the south · the great chief · not too fast
- 六四Six in the fourth placethe left belly · understanding the dark · leaving by the gate
- 六五Six in the fifth placeJizi · feigned darkness · the light cannot be put out
- 上六Six at the topdarkness itself · first to heaven, then to earth · the fallen ruler
Read 明夷 Brightness Hidden for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the fourth place of hexagram 36, Brightness Hidden, mean?
- Entering the left side of the belly, grasping the heart of the darkness, and going out through the gate and courtyard. Line four is yin in its correct place, the first line of Kun, the dark upper trigram, and the closest neighbour of the lines around the tyrant at the top. It is inside — it sees how the darkness thinks — and because it sees, it can get out before it is swallowed. Commentators read it as Weizi, the prince who understood the ruler's mind and departed. The small Image: 'he grasps the intention of the heart' (獲心意) — knowledge of the dark is what makes the exit possible.
- What does hexagram 36 become when line 4 changes?
- Brightness Hidden becomes hexagram 55, 豐 Plenty: Thunder and lightning together: abundance. The king reaches it; no sorrow — be like the sun at noon. But the sun at noon begins to set: fullness is a moment, not a possession.
- Is line 4 of Brightness Hidden 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).