Hexagram 59, line 3
六三Line 3 of Dispersing
Six in the third place · 渙 huàn
爻辭 The line text
渙其躬，无悔。The third line, divided, shows its subject discarding any regard to his own person. There will be no occasion for repentance.
渙其躬，志在外也。'He has no regard to his own person:'—his aim is directed to what is external to himself.
In plain words
Line three is a weak line in a strong place at the top of the water, out of its proper position, and alone among the six lines it has a correspondent above — the strong top line. What it disperses is 'its own person' (渙其躬): it lets go of concern for itself and turns toward the one it answers to. The text promises no regret, not good fortune, because the line is still in the wrong place and still inside the trigram of danger. The small Image says its will is outside (志在外): in the hexagram of dispersal, dissolving one's own self-interest is the first thing that can rightly be dissolved.
If this line is changing
Let go of what you are protecting for yourself and give your attention to the larger thing you belong to; you will not regret it, though you should not expect applause either.
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 坎 Kan (the Abysmal) (water).
- 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
渙 Dispersing becomes ䷸ 57 巽 Yielding (Wind)
Wind upon wind: the gentle that penetrates everywhere. Small success; favourable to have somewhere to go and to see the great man — persistent gentle influence rather than force.
What it becomes57 · 巽 Yielding (Wind)xùnThe six lines of 渙 Dispersing
- 初六Six at the beginningearly rescue · strong horse · going along
- 九二Nine in the second placehurrying to support · amid dispersal · regret vanishes
- 六三Six in the third placedissolving the self · outward will · no regret
- 六四Six in the fourth placedissolving factions · gathering a hill · great good fortune
- 九五Nine in the fifth placethe great proclamation · like sweat · scattering the stores
- 上九Nine at the topleaving harm behind · far away · no blame
Read 渙 Dispersing for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the third place of hexagram 59, Dispersing, mean?
- Line three is a weak line in a strong place at the top of the water, out of its proper position, and alone among the six lines it has a correspondent above — the strong top line. What it disperses is 'its own person' (渙其躬): it lets go of concern for itself and turns toward the one it answers to. The text promises no regret, not good fortune, because the line is still in the wrong place and still inside the trigram of danger. The small Image says its will is outside (志在外): in the hexagram of dispersal, dissolving one's own self-interest is the first thing that can rightly be dissolved.
- What does hexagram 59 become when line 3 changes?
- Dispersing becomes hexagram 57, 巽 Yielding (Wind): Wind upon wind: the gentle that penetrates everywhere. Small success; favourable to have somewhere to go and to see the great man — persistent gentle influence rather than force.
- Is line 3 of Dispersing 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).