29
C
V	878878
B	0x010010
FB	01010101b
H	Hx303130303130

The Abysmal (Water)

30
C	N/A
V	787787
B	0x101101
FB	N/A
H	Hx313031313031

This hexagram consists of a doubling of the trigram Kan. It is one of the eight hexagrams in which doubling occurs. The trigram Kan means a plunging in. A yang line has plunged in between two yin lines and is closed in by them like water in a ravine. The trigram Kan is also the middle son. The Receptive has obtained the middle line of the Creative, and thus Kan develops. As an image it represents water, the water that comes from above and is in motion on earth in streams and rivers, giving rise to all life on earth.In man's world Kan represents the heart, the soul locked up within the body, the principle of light enclosed in the dark - that is, reason. The name of the hexagram, because the trigram is doubled, has the additional meaning, "repetition of danger." Thus the hexagram is intended to designate an objective situation to which one must become accustomed, not a subjective attitude. For danger due to a subjective attitude means either foolhardiness or guile. Hence too a ravine is used to symbolise danger; it is a situation in which a man is in the same pass as the water in a ravine, and, like the water, he can escape if he behaves correctly.

Water

Water flows on uninterruptedly and reaches its goal:The image of the Abysmal repeated.Thus the superior man walks in lasting virtueAnd carries on the business of teaching.Water reaches its goal by flowing continually. It fills up every depression before it flows on. The superior man follows its example; he is concerned that goodness should be an established attribute of character rather than an accidental and isolated occurrence. So likewise in teaching others everything depends on consistency, for it is only through repetition that the pupil makes the material his own.

Changing Line 1:

Repetition of the Abysmal.In the abyss one falls into a pit.Misfortune.By growing used to what is dangerous, a man can easily allow it to become part of him. He is familiar with it and grows used to evil. With this he has lost the right way, and misfortune is the natural result.

Changing Line 4:

A jug of wine, a bowl of rice with it;Earthen vessels simply handed in through the window.There is certainly no blame in this.In times of danger ceremonious forms are dropped. What matters most is sincerity. Although as a rule it is customary for an official to present certain introductory gifts and recommendations before he is appointed, here everything is simplified to the utmost. The gifts are insignificant, there is no one to sponsor him, he introduces himself; yet all this need not be humiliating if only there is the honest intention of mutual help in danger. Still another idea is suggested. The window is the place through which light enters the room. If in difficult times we want to enlighten someone, we must begin with that which is in itself lucid and proceed quite simply from that point on.

30
C
V	787787
B	0x101101
FB	10101010b
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The Clinging, Fire

29
C	N/A
V	878878
B	0x010010
FB	N/A
H	Hx303130303130

This hexagram is another double sign. The trigram Li means "to cling to something," and also "brightness." A dark line clings to two light lines, one above and one below - the image of an empty space between two strong lines, whereby the two strong lines are made bright. The trigram represents the middle daughter. The Creative has incorporated the central line of the Receptive, and thus Li develops. As an image, it is fire. Fire has no definite form but clings to the burning object and thus is bright. As water pours down from heaven, so fire flames up from the earth. While Kan means the soul shut within the body, Li stands for nature in its radiance (glow).

Fire

That which is bright rises twice:The image of Fire.Thus the great man, by perpetuating this brightness,Illumines the four quarters of the world.Each of the two trigrams represents the sun in the course of a day. The two together represent the repeated movement of the sun, the function of light with respect to time. The great man continues the work of nature in the human world. Through the clarity of his nature he causes the light to spread farther and farther and to penetrate the nature of man ever more deeply.

Changing Line 1:

The footprints run crisscross.If one is seriously intent, no blame.It is early morning and work begins. The mind has been closed to the outside world in sleep; now its connections with the world begin again. The traces of one's impressions run crisscross. Activity and haste prevail. It is important then to preserve inner composure and not to allow oneself to be swept along by the bustle of life. If one is serious and composed, he can acquire the clarity of mind needed for coming to terms with the innumerable impressions that pour in. It is precisely at the beginning that serious concentration is important, because the beginning holds the seed of all that is to follow.

Changing Line 4:

Its coming is sudden;It flames up, dies down, is thrown away.Clarity of mind has the same relation to life that fire has to wood. Fire clings to wood, but also consumes it. Clarity of mind is rooted in life but can also consume it. Everything depends on how the clarity functions. Here the image used is that of a meteor or a straw fire. A man who is excitable and restless may rise quickly to prominence but produces no lasting effects. Thus matters end badly when a man spends himself too rapidly and consumes himself like a meteor.