Half an idea about the third line of Hexagram 49, Radical Change –
‘Setting out to bring order means a pitfall,
Constancy means danger.
As words of radical change draw near three times,
There is truth and confidence.’
Overall, this is telling us that radical change isn’t something you get at once, like flicking a switch. You can’t just march out and make it happen, fixing the world to be as you think it should. Ousting the old regime – not least one’s own internalised ‘government’ – takes time.
The line changes to Hexagram 17, Following: you can’t force this, but need to go along with the reality, respecting the way things naturally unfold. Also, you are creating compliance – another meaning of Following: a willingness to go along with the change.
The idea is somewhat similar to the three days before and after the seed day in the Oracle of Hexagram 18 –
‘Corruption. Creating success from the source.
Fruitful to cross the great river.
Before the seed day, three days. After the seed day, three days.’
…except that one (along with its echo over in 57.5) speaks of a number of days to prepare and to wait. Overthrowing the old specifically takes three installments of words. These can be outer or inner words, I’ve found: talking it over, or thinking it over, or both, to catch up mentally with the idea and find a new consensus.
Now… if you had to pick one trigram to represent words, which would you choose?
I suggest dui, the lake:
In the Shuogua‘s lists of trigram attributes and associations, it’s ‘mouth and tongue’; bring two lakes together, and their Image is:
‘Lakes joined together. Opening.
A noble one joins with friends to speak and practise together.’
And so this gets me looking around 49’s neighbouring hexagrams in the Sequence for lakes.
There are two options: we can look forward, or back. Looking forward, there are lakes in hexagrams 54, 58 (admittedly, there are two there, which rather spoils the count), 60 – and then in Hexagram 61, Inner Truth. Its name, zhong fu, 中孚, contains that same word translated as ‘truth and confidence’ in 49.3.
I think looking back makes more sense, though. That way, you find your three lakes in consecutive hexagram pairs, 47, 45 and 43 – and all of them in the upper trigram, out in the world, making themselves heard – followed by a fourth lake in Hexagram 49, where ‘on your own day, there is truth and confidence.’
Also, the words are said to draw near three times, and to my ear that sounds more like words coming up towards this hexagram through the Sequence than travelling on away from it. (Of course, this doesn’t mean that when you receive this line the words have already gone the rounds three times so you can forge ahead. It might mean it’s a good idea to pause and look back through the Sequence.)
The word for ‘drawing near’ is 就 jiu, and this is it’s only appearance in the book. It means to come near, move towards, reach, complete, and also to follow, accompany or accommodate to. The character breaks down into two components: a capital city or very tall building 京, and a character 尤 meaning, really, especially, which apparently originally showed a hand with a wart or injury.
Now, the ‘capital city’ component is no relation of the ‘city’ in the Oracle of 43, and the component showing a hand and a mark is not the same as the hand holding up the token in the name of 43, so I suppose if that reminds me irresistibly of Hexagram 43, I shouldn’t set too much store by this.
But… these three hexagrams make very good sense to me as ‘words drawing near three times’.
The message of revolution was first brought in 43, when dui emerged as outer trigram after it had formed at the foot of the mountain in Hexagram 41.
‘Deciding, tell it in the king’s chambers.
With truth, call out, there is danger.
Notify your own town.
Fruitless to take up arms;
Fruitful to have a direction to go.’
Then it’s gathered together in Hexagram 45, where it’s no longer the voice of a single conviction but rather the ‘pooled’ resources and identity of all the people gathered at the temple. And in Hexagram 47, words are not yet trusted, but flow inward to merge with the great person’s own inner currents, since mandate and aspiration are made of the same element in the end:
‘Lake without water, Confined.
A noble one carries out the mandate, fulfils her aspiration.’
Rather than wandering over other hexagrams I would like to focus on this third line of hexagram 49: it is not linked to the sixth line (which is already related to the fifth) so its help does not come into play. This third line is a strong line waiting and turned towards transformation, R.Wilhelm notes that if the fire (referring to the basic trigram which relates to the superior trigram Tui in hexagram 49) wants to obtain something against the water, “the fire must act with full determination. All three lines in a single bundle”. These three lines mentioned by R.W. are the lines that constitute the superior intrinsic trigram Ch’ien, Heaven and Time (of subversion) to which hexagram 49 refers. This means that the change and the consequent action must be forwarded and pursued through the three stages of the hexagram Heaven, until the strength necessary for completion is achieved. The subversion must be announced three times only then will it be heard. When these three lines change together, hexagram 24 is born which suggests a continuous action for seven days connected to the participation of other subjects in the field obtained previously in the context of hexagram 49 which indicates the subversion of time, a magician, a calendar maker.
So the words drawing near three times are three yang lines? That makes sense too.
(I think it’s possible to see it both ways. The same is true of Hexagram 24: seven line-days to rotate through the lines of the hexagram; seven hexagram-days to return to the beginning of the Lower Canon at Hexagram 31.)
This is the translation from my book by R.Wilhelm that I have in Italian:
Third line (Hexagram 49): To set out (now) brings misfortune: Perseverance brings danger: When in the speech the subversion has been announced three times one must turn to it and one will find belief.
The translation of Cary F. Baines,
in the English version it is:
“Starting brings misfortune. Perseverance brings danger, When talk of revolution ha gone the rounds three times, one may commit himself, and men will believe him.”
Linn R.J. translates:
Third Yang
For this one to go out and attack would mean misfortune, and though he were to practice constancy, he would
cause danger. Addressing themselves to Radical Change, the three say that they will accede to it; in this he should
trust. {Third Yang is located at the very top of Fire [i.e., the lower trigram, Li]. Although the three lines of the upper trigram embody the
nature of Water [in that they constitute the trigram Dui (Lake)], they all heed Radical Change. From Fourth Yang to Top Yin, they all follow
orders and change, and none dare to disobey. This is why the text says: “Addressing themselves to Radical Change, the three say that they
will accede to it.” Their words are really true, thus the text says “in this he should trust.” “Addressing themselves to Radical Change, the
three say that they will accede to it; in this he should trust.” Thus if he were still to go out and attack them, misfortune would indeed be his
proper reward.} 7
Note 7:
“Addressing themselves to Radical Change, the three say that they will accede to it” translates ge yan san jiu. Whereas Kong Yingda’s
remarks simply expand on what Wang Bi says, both Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi interpret this sentence and all of Third Yang differently. Cheng’s
commentary is the more detailed and explicit:
Third Yang fills the top position of the lower trigram as a hard and strong yang line, but as it also abides at the top of Li [Fire], it fails to
achieve centrality. Thus it represents someone who tries to bring about and manage Radical Change. This one is in an subordinate position
and yet tries to handle major change. If he were to proceed in this way, he would have misfortune. However, as Third Yang abides at the top
of the lower trigram, if it really is proper that things undergo Radical Change, how could one here fail to act? If such a one took care to guard
his constancy and to have a healthy fear of the dangers involved, and if it were in compliance with the consensus, then he may act without
hesitation. The expression ge yan [talk of Radical Change] means something like “discussion that one ought to engage in Radical Change,”
and jiu [yield] means cheng [it will do] or he [agree]. One here should carefully examine the talk that one ought to engage in Radical Change,
and if one does so as much as three times and agreement is always had, then one can trust that it should be done. If the talk is done seriously
and carefully enough that it reaches such a state as this, then it surely must reach a proper conclusion. As such, “there is trust.” Third Yang
can trust in it, and it is something that the masses can trust also. When it turns out like this, one can carry out Radical Change here.
In the light of Cheng’s commentary, Third Yang would read: “For this one to set forth [on his own] would mean misfortune, and in spite of his constancy he would have danger. But if talk of Radical Change were to reach agreement three times, one should have trust in it.” See Zhouyi zhezhong, 7: 8b.
Tuck Chang translates: “To undertake a venture is ominous, and to persist is stern and cruel. Ge ( reform or revolution) is a task which requires being implemented in tree steps, and with sincerity and trust.”
In his commentary Tuck Chang cites the ancient Chinese story of Dukedom Zhou overthrow the Shang Dynasty in three steps.