Success. Favorable to persevere. Small matters can be done. Great matters cannot be done. The flying bird leaves its call: it is not fitting to rise, it is fitting to descend. Great Good fortune.
彖傳 · Tuan Zhuan
Judgment Commentary
Small Exceeding means success because the small oversteps and thus succeeds. To overstep with Favorable to persevere means moving with the time. The yielding gains the center, and therefore small matters are auspicious. The firm loses its place and is not centered, and therefore great matters cannot be done. There is the image of a flying bird. The flying bird leaves its call: it is not fitting above, it is fitting below. Great Good fortune. Above is contrary and below is compliant.
象 · Xiang
Image
Thunder on the mountain: Small Exceeding. The Noble One exceeds in reverence in conduct, exceeds in grief in mourning, and exceeds in frugality in use.
六爻 · Six Lines
Lines
Line 06
Top Six
Not meeting it, one oversteps it. The flying bird leaves it behind. Misfortune. This is called calamity and affliction.
Commentary
Not meeting it and overstepping it means it is already overreaching.
Line 05
Six in the Fifth
Dense clouds, no rain, from our western outskirts. The duke shoots and takes what is in the cave.
Commentary
Dense clouds with no rain mean that it has already risen above.
Line 04
Nine in the Fourth
No blame. Do not overstep, but meet it. Going on is dangerous and demands caution. Do not persist forever.
Commentary
Not overstepping but meeting it means the place is not appropriate. Going on is dangerous and demands caution because in the end it cannot last long.
Line 03
Nine in the Third
Do not overstep; guard against it. In following along, perhaps one is injured. Misfortune.
Commentary
Following along, perhaps one is injured. How could this not be Misfortune?
Line 02
Six in the Second
Passing the grandfather and meeting the grandmother. Not reaching the lord and meeting the minister. No blame.
Commentary
Not reaching the lord means a minister must not go beyond.
Line 01
Initial Six
The flying bird brings Misfortune.
Commentary
The flying bird bringing Misfortune means nothing can be done about it.