Hexagram 8, line 2
六二Line 2 of Alliance
Six in the second place · 比 bǐ
爻辭 The line text
比之自內，貞吉。In the second line, divided, we see the movement towards union and attachment proceeding from the inward (mind). With firm correctness there will be good fortune.
比之自內，不自失也。'The movement towards union and attachment proceeds from the inward (mind):'—(the party concerned) does not fail in what is proper to himself.
In plain words
'Holding together from within: steadfastness brings good fortune.' Line two is yin, central and correct in the lower trigram, and it is the one yielding line that properly corresponds to the ruler at five. 'From within' means two things at once: from the inner trigram, and from the heart — this is an alliance that the line was born into and holds by its own nature, not by seeking. The small Image says that in holding together this way one 'does not lose oneself' (不自失也). Zhu Xi draws the contrast with the fourth line, which allies 'from without' by going to the worthy: the second line does not need to go anywhere, because the bond is already right, and its only task is to stay steady in it.
If this line is changing
The bond you are in is already the right one; do not go looking for a better connection, and do not bend yourself to keep this one — steadiness is what it asks.
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 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 坤 Kun (the Receptive) (earth).
- It corresponds (應) with line 5: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
比 Alliance becomes ䷜ 29 坎 The Pit (Water)
Water upon water: repeated danger. With sincerity the heart gets through — flow like water, filling each hollow and moving on without losing your nature.
What it becomes29 · 坎 The Pit (Water)kǎnThe six lines of 比 Alliance
- 初六Six at the beginningsincerity · a full jar · unexpected good
- 六二Six in the second placefrom within · steadfast · not losing oneself
- 六三Six in the third placethe wrong people · misplaced loyalty · harm
- 六四Six in the fourth placefrom without · following the worthy · upward
- 九五Nine in the fifth placeopen alliance · three-sided hunt · letting the game go
- 上六Six at the topno head · too late · nowhere to end
Read 比 Alliance for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the second place of hexagram 8, Alliance, mean?
- 'Holding together from within: steadfastness brings good fortune.' Line two is yin, central and correct in the lower trigram, and it is the one yielding line that properly corresponds to the ruler at five. 'From within' means two things at once: from the inner trigram, and from the heart — this is an alliance that the line was born into and holds by its own nature, not by seeking. The small Image says that in holding together this way one 'does not lose oneself' (不自失也). Zhu Xi draws the contrast with the fourth line, which allies 'from without' by going to the worthy: the second line does not need to go anywhere, because the bond is already right, and its only task is to stay steady in it.
- What does hexagram 8 become when line 2 changes?
- Alliance becomes hexagram 29, 坎 The Pit (Water): Water upon water: repeated danger. With sincerity the heart gets through — flow like water, filling each hollow and moving on without losing your nature.
- Is line 2 of Alliance 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. 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).