Hexagram 41, line 3
六三Line 3 of Diminishing
Six in the third place · 損 sǔn
爻辭 The line text
三人行，則損一人；一人行，則得其友。The third line, divided, shows how of three men walking together, the number is diminished by one; and how one, walking, finds his friend.
一人行，三則疑也。'One man, walking,' (finds his friend):—when three are together, doubts rise among them.
In plain words
'Three walking together lose one; one walking alone finds a friend' (三人行則損一人，一人行則得其友). The received reading sees the hexagram's origin here: Sun is Tai with its third yang line sent to the top, so the three strong lines of the lower trigram became two, and the one that left found its partner above. Line three is yin at the top of Dui, in a yang place, corresponding to the top line. The small Image explains the arithmetic: when three go together, doubts arise (三則疑也). Pairs are the natural unit of trust; a third party makes everyone wonder who sides with whom.
If this line is changing
If a relationship or a working arrangement has three parties in it, expect suspicion; let one step aside, or go alone and let the right partner find you.
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 兌 Dui (the Joyous) (lake).
- It corresponds (應) with line 6: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
損 Diminishing 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 損 Diminishing
- 初九Nine at the beginningdrop your own business · hurry to help · measure the gift
- 九二Nine in the second placehold the centre · do not go · give without loss
- 六三Six in the third placethree become two · one finds a friend · doubt in a crowd
- 六四Six in the fourth placelessen the fault · accept help quickly · joy
- 六五Six in the fifth placegifts that cannot be refused · the oracle agrees · blessed from above
- 上九Nine at the topincrease without taking · beyond decrease · followers without a house
Read 損 Diminishing for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the third place of hexagram 41, Diminishing, mean?
- 'Three walking together lose one; one walking alone finds a friend' (三人行則損一人，一人行則得其友). The received reading sees the hexagram's origin here: Sun is Tai with its third yang line sent to the top, so the three strong lines of the lower trigram became two, and the one that left found its partner above. Line three is yin at the top of Dui, in a yang place, corresponding to the top line. The small Image explains the arithmetic: when three go together, doubts arise (三則疑也). Pairs are the natural unit of trust; a third party makes everyone wonder who sides with whom.
- What does hexagram 41 become when line 3 changes?
- Diminishing 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 3 of Diminishing 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).