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Chapter 27 of 64
东坡易传
Embedded chart
| Stem-branch set | Set 1 | Set 2 | Set 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stem | 颐 | 艮 | 震 |
| Branch | 卦 | 上 | 下 |
"Yi": Perseverance brings good fortune. Observe the nourishing, and seek one's own sustenance from the mouth.
The Yi hexagram symbolizes the way of self-nourishment—like a mouth that needs food. Maintaining the correct path brings good fortune. Observe how one nourishes others, and also observe how one seeks one's own sustenance, securing one's own livelihood and nourishment. 🍚
The Commentary says: "Yi, perseverance brings good fortune"—nourishment in accordance with the correct path brings good fortune. "Observe the nourishing"—observe what is being nourished.
The Commentary explains: "Yi, perseverance brings good fortune" means that when the way of nurturing accords with the correct path, it is auspicious. "Observe the nourishing" refers to examining the objects of one's nurture—whom one chooses to nourish and what one sustains.
This refers to the top nine.
This points to the top nine: the top nine, a yang line at the end of the hexagram, possesses the virtue of nourishing others. To observe what it nourishes is precisely to see how this virtuous one exercises the work of sustenance.
"Seek one's own sustenance from the mouth"—observe how one nourishes oneself.
"Seek one's own sustenance" means observing how a person nourishes oneself—the means by which one secures the resources of survival, whether such means are proper, and whether one is independent.
This refers to the initial nine.
This points to the initial nine: the initial nine, a yang line at the beginning of the hexagram, possesses the virtue of self-nourishment, like the spirit turtle.
Heaven and earth nourish the myriad things; the sage nourishes the worthy and thereby extends to all people—how great is the significance of the time of Yi!
Heaven and earth nourish all things through the way of nature; the sage cultivates worthy talents through institutions and virtue, and the blessings of these worthies then extend to all people. The "timely significance" revealed by the Yi hexagram—the timing and manner of nourishment—is truly magnificent! 🌱
The Image says: Thunder beneath the mountain—"Yi." The noble person, accordingly, is cautious in speech and temperate in eating and drinking.
The Image Commentary says: Gen mountain above, Zhen thunder below—mountain stills while thunder moves, precisely forming the image of Yi (the jaw/cheeks). The noble person comprehends from this: Be cautious in speech, be temperate in food and drink.
Above is stillness, below is movement, presenting the image of "Yi." Thus the noble person governs the matters of nourishing the mouth. What all people know yet find difficult to achieve is being cautious in speech and temperate in eating and drinking. 💬 Speech, once uttered, cannot be taken back; food and drink, once ingested, cannot be expelled—these are the dual irreversible gateways.