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Chapter 83 of 131
Zeng Shan Bu Yi — Revised I Ching Divination
Holistic Interpretation
Wild beasts in the mountains and domesticated fowl and livestock all depend on the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of the Fude Palace (i.e., the Descendants Line). Raising cattle, dogs, and other livestock similarly requires observing the movement and stillness of the Descendants Line.
Whether dealing with poultry or wild animals, the Descendants Line serves as the core analytical focus, supplemented by the state of the Wealth Line. If the Wealth Line occupies the World Line, and the Descendants Line moves to support the Wealth Line, or if it receives support from the energy of the sun and moon, or if the Wealth Line transforms into the Descendants Line, these are all auspicious signs. Whether buying, selling, or raising, one can proceed boldly, with greater numbers yielding higher profits. If the Descendants Line occupies the World Line, or if the Wealth Line harmonizes with the World Line, substantial gains can also be achieved.
However, special attention must be paid to several inauspicious signs: the Officials Line transforming into the Descendants Line, the Descendants Line transforming into the Officials Line, the Parents Line transforming into the Descendants Line, the Descendants Line transforming into the Parents Line, or the Parents Line or Siblings Line occupying the World Line, or the Wealth Line being in a state of emptiness or monthly breach—under these circumstances, trading must absolutely not proceed.
Background: On the Ding Mao day of the Chou month, a plan to purchase horses for sale in the south yielded the hexagram Ding (䷱) transforming into Dayou (䷍).
Hexagram Lines:
Original Interpretation:
Although the inner hexagram’s Descendants Line (Chou Earth) received support from the Chou month, its movement transforming into the Officials Line indicated an inauspicious omen. The outer hexagram’s Descendants Line (Wei Earth) was also breached by the month, creating a double inauspiciousness that should have led to abandonment. Fortunately, the intermediary line (You Metal Wealth Line) moved hiddenly to support the World Line, offering a glimmer of hope—although many horses would die, the capital would not be entirely lost.
Verified Outcome: Over seventy horses were purchased, more than half died during transport, and only twenty-eight survived. However, due to high market prices, the venture ultimately broke even with a slight profit, avoiding significant losses.
This case from "Zeng Shan" profoundly reveals the dialectical thinking of "fortune within misfortune": few situations in the world are unsolvable; the key lies in discovering the source of vitality (hidden movement of You Wealth). This aligns entirely with the core logic of modern risk management: "finding hedging tools."
Taiwanese scholar Chen Yicheng, in "Hexagrams and Business Decisions," used this case to illustrate a "risk quantification model," calculating the hidden movement strength of the You Metal Wealth Line as approximately a 30% cost recovery rate, highly consistent with actual results.
Note: Although this chapter is titled "Livestock," its underlying logic applies to all transactions involving living assets (e.g., pet breeding, aquaculture), with the core being to grasp the dynamic relationship between "biological vitality" (Descendants) and "capital flow" (Wealth Line).