Hexagram 8, line 3
六三Line 3 of Alliance
Six in the third place · 比 bǐ
爻辭 The line text
比之匪人。In the third line, divided, we see its subject seeking for union with such as ought not to be associated with.
比之匪人，不亦傷乎！'Union is sought with such as ought not to be associated with:'—but will not injury be the result?
In plain words
'Holding together with the wrong people.' Line three is yin in a yang place at the top of Kun, out of position, not central, and with no correspondent — line six is also yin. It sits between the second line, which has its proper partner, and the fourth, which goes up to the worthy ruler, and it has neither: everyone it can reach is as weak and misplaced as itself. The text gives no verdict, but the small Image supplies the tone with a rhetorical question: 'is this not hurtful?' (不亦傷乎). Cheng Yi reads it as the person who, for want of a right connection, attaches to whoever is nearest and like-minded, and finds too late that the company itself was the harm.
If this line is changing
Look hard at who you are aligning yourself with; a connection made only because it was available, with people who cannot carry you anywhere, is the injury itself.
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 坤 Kun (the Receptive) (earth).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 6: both lines are yin, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
比 Alliance becomes ䷦ 39 蹇 Impasse
Water on the mountain: a hard pass. Favourable to the southwest, not the northeast; see the great man — obstruction is a time to turn back and cultivate yourself.
What it becomes39 · 蹇 ImpassejiǎnThe 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 third place of hexagram 8, Alliance, mean?
- 'Holding together with the wrong people.' Line three is yin in a yang place at the top of Kun, out of position, not central, and with no correspondent — line six is also yin. It sits between the second line, which has its proper partner, and the fourth, which goes up to the worthy ruler, and it has neither: everyone it can reach is as weak and misplaced as itself. The text gives no verdict, but the small Image supplies the tone with a rhetorical question: 'is this not hurtful?' (不亦傷乎). Cheng Yi reads it as the person who, for want of a right connection, attaches to whoever is nearest and like-minded, and finds too late that the company itself was the harm.
- What does hexagram 8 become when line 3 changes?
- Alliance becomes hexagram 39, 蹇 Impasse: Water on the mountain: a hard pass. Favourable to the southwest, not the northeast; see the great man — obstruction is a time to turn back and cultivate yourself.
- Is line 3 of Alliance 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).