Hexagram 43, line 2
九二Line 2 of Decisiveness
Nine in the second place · 夬 guài
爻辭 The line text
惕號，莫夜有戎，勿恤。The second line, undivided, shows its subject full of apprehension and appealing (for sympathy and help). Late at night hostile measures may be (taken against him), but he need not be anxious about them.
莫夜有戎，得中道也。'Though hostile measures be taken against him, he need not be anxious:'—he pursues the course of the due mean.
In plain words
Line two 'cries out in alarm; late at night there are arms, but no need to worry' (惕號，莫夜有戎，勿恤). This is the central line of Qian, yang in a yin place — strength tempered by position — and it embodies the judgment's 'sincere cry, there is danger' (孚號有厲). It stays vigilant even when the night brings a surprise attack. The small Image credits the calm to the way of the centre (得中道也): the one who is already alert and already in the right place is not thrown by a sudden threat. Of the five strong lines this is the one that gets decisiveness right — wary, not aggressive.
If this line is changing
Keep sounding the alarm and keep your guard up, especially when things seem quiet; being prepared is what lets you stay calm when the challenge comes at an awkward hour.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang 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 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 乾 Qian (the Creative) (heaven).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 5: both lines are yang, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
夬 Decisiveness becomes ䷰ 49 革 Reform
Fire in the lake: two that extinguish each other — change is forced. A revolution is believed only after it is done; supreme success when the time is ripe and the cause is right.
What it becomes49 · 革 ReformgéThe six lines of 夬 Decisiveness
- 初九Nine at the beginningstrength in the toes · advancing too soon · cannot prevail
- 九二Nine in the second placealarm cry · armed at night · no anxiety
- 九三Nine in the third placestrength in the face · walking alone · soaked but blameless
- 九四Nine in the fourth placeno skin on the buttocks · halting · hears but does not believe
- 九五Nine in the fifth placepurslane · resolute at the centre · not yet bright
- 上六Six at the topno one to call · the last yin · cannot last
Read 夬 Decisiveness for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine in the second place of hexagram 43, Decisiveness, mean?
- Line two 'cries out in alarm; late at night there are arms, but no need to worry' (惕號，莫夜有戎，勿恤). This is the central line of Qian, yang in a yin place — strength tempered by position — and it embodies the judgment's 'sincere cry, there is danger' (孚號有厲). It stays vigilant even when the night brings a surprise attack. The small Image credits the calm to the way of the centre (得中道也): the one who is already alert and already in the right place is not thrown by a sudden threat. Of the five strong lines this is the one that gets decisiveness right — wary, not aggressive.
- What does hexagram 43 become when line 2 changes?
- Decisiveness becomes hexagram 49, 革 Reform: Fire in the lake: two that extinguish each other — change is forced. A revolution is believed only after it is done; supreme success when the time is ripe and the cause is right.
- Is line 2 of Decisiveness 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. 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).