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Capítulo 30 de 64
东坡易传
The Li Hexagram (Hexagram 30)
Li is fire; upper Li, lower Li.
The "Li" hexagram takes its image from fire 🔥. Fire cannot manifest its own form; it must adhere to an object to take shape. Therefore, the image of the "Li" hexagram is derived from fire.
Favorable for steadfastness; prosperity. Raising a female cow brings good fortune.
Favorable for upholding what is right, prosperous. Nurturing a female cow, auspicious.
The Commentary on the Tuan says: "Li" means adhering, depending. The sun and moon depend on the sky ☀️🌙; the hundred grains and grasses and trees depend on the earth 🌱.
This shows that all things depend on one another according to their own categories.
When two layers of brightness depend on the correct path, the world is transformed and brought to completion; when the yielding depends on the principle of centrality and correctness, "prosperity" follows, and thus "raising a female cow brings good fortune."
In the clinging relationships of the six lines: the second and fifth lines are yielding lines residing in central and correct positions. When things depend on one another, if the object of dependence is incorrect, there may be easy union but difficulty in enduring; if the object of dependence is correct, then it is difficult to form a hasty union, but once formed, it is necessarily firm. Thus it is said, "Favorable for steadfastness, prosperous." To know what to nurture, one looks to its master. With such a master, then one can nurture such persons. Having such talent but without a matching master, even if nurtured, it cannot be put to use. Therefore, with yielding gentleness as the primary quality, among what one nurtures, only the female cow is most auspicious.
The Commentary on the Image says: Two layers of brightness arising in succession—this is the "Li" hexagram. The great person, discerning this, illuminates the four directions with sustained and continuous brightness.
Once fire obtains the carrier it clings to, one torch can ignite ten thousand more; once brightness obtains the vehicle through which it is conveyed, a pair of ears and eyes can comprehensively observe the world—for those who continue my brightness in the world are many.
Initial Nine: Steps that are mixed and disorderly. Be reverent—no fault.
The Commentary on the Image says: Maintaining "reverence" when "steps are mixed and disorderly" is to avoid fault.
None of the six lines fails to take mutual clinging as their concern. And the nature of fire is to rise upward, so those below often cling to those above. The Initial Nine clings to the Second Six. For one who is firm clinging to the yielding, it is better to be proud than fawning; for one who is firm clinging to the yielding, it is better to be reverent than irreverent. Treating the object of one's dependence with irreverence is self-abandonment. Therefore, the Initial Nine's steps are mixed and disorderly—reverently treating the Second Six, to avoid the fault of mutual irreverence.
Six in the Second Position: A yellow clinging—supreme good fortune.
The Commentary on the Image says: "Yellow clinging, supreme good fortune," because it has attained the central path.
"Yellow" is the color of centrality. The yielding line is still and unmoving; the firm line comes to cling to it—thus "supreme good fortune."
Nine in the Third Position: The clinging of the setting sun. If one does not drum on the clay vessel and sing, then the sighs of extreme old age arrive—misfortune.
The Commentary on the Image says: "The clinging of the sun at its decline"—how can it last long?
Fire, when it obtains the carrier it clings to, can be transmitted and continued; when it does not obtain its carrier, it is impoverished. The Initial Nine toward the Second Six, and the Fifth Six toward the Top Nine—these all obtain the objects of their clinging, because yin and yang support each other. Only the Third Nine toward the Fourth Nine cannot obtain its continuation and meets with impoverishment—like the sun at its decline, like a person in extreme old age. For the noble person to reach this state is a matter of fate. Thus "striking the clay vessel and singing"—peacefully awaiting. If not this, then sighing in anxiety—that is the path of misfortune.
Nine in the Fourth Position: Coming suddenly, like a blazing fire—burning, dying, abandoned.
The Commentary on the Image says: "Sudden coming"—there is no place of refuge.
The Third Nine has no object of clinging; the Fourth Nine has no one coming to cling to it—both are impoverished. However, the impoverishment of the Third Nine is but a sigh; the Fourth Nine sees that the Fifth Six is worth pursuing but does not consider that it cannot be rightfully obtained. Thus its coming is "sudden," its flame "burns fiercely." The Fifth Six rejects it and does not accept it, so it is impoverished with no place of refuge. The Fourth Nine's desire to obtain the Fifth Six is contending with the Top Nine; and the Top Nine is the lord of the "Li" hexagram. Therefore, there is death and the multitudes abandon it.
Six in the Fifth Position: Tears flow forth in torrents, lamenting and sighing—good fortune.
The Commentary on the Image says: The good fortune of the Fifth Six lies in clinging to the nπρίγκιπας.
"王公" refers to the Top Nine. The Fifth Six clings upward to the Top Nine, while the Fourth Nine desires to obtain it. Thus "tears flow forth in torrents" and "lamenting and sighing"—to manifest unwavering loyalty to what is above. If the Fifth Six has no divided heart toward the Fourth Nine, then the Top Nine will draw near to it—thus good fortune.
Top Nine: The king employs it for punitive expeditions. There is merit in beheading the ringleaders, capturing not their followers—no fault.
The Commentary on the Image says: The "king's punitive expedition" is to correct the states.
All below inevitably must cling to others. Only the Top Nine causes others to cling to it, while it clings to none. Thus its position is that of a king, and its virtue can correct the multitude, causing each person to rest peacefully in their proper position. When those who disrupt the natural categories appear, that is what the king's punitive expedition targets. "嘉" (excellence/commendation) refers to the Fifth Six. Those not of the same kind are the Fourth Nine. None of the six lines has a proper correlative, so those who cling to one another in proximity can be called "commendable." The reason the Fifth Six can overcome those not of its kind like the Fourth Nine is that the Top Nine assists it.
The essence of the Li hexagram is "clinging"—the fundamental mode of all existence.
In Su Shi's interpretation, a profound philosophical proposition is revealed: 🔥fire cannot be seen by itself; it must cling to objects to manifest its form. Extending this broadly—all things are so: sun and moon cling to the sky, grasses and trees cling to the earth, humans cling to social relationships, value systems, and spiritual anchors. No existence is isolated and self-sufficient.
The core structure of the Li hexagram is the mutual clinging of the six lines: The first line clings to the second, the second bears the third, the third encounters the fourth and is exhausted, the fourth contends for the fifth and dies, the fifth clings to the top and finds good fortune, and the top is the king who does not cling to others. The entire hexagram depicts a complete map of clinging relationships—which clingings are righteous and enduring, and which are transgressive and ruinous.
The key distinction lies in:
| Type of Clinging | Line Position Example | Result |
|---|---|---|
| Mutual support of yin and yang (righteous clinging) | Initial Nine clings to Second Six; Fifth Six clings to Top Nine | No fault, good fortune |
| Same forces pressing upon each other (exhausted clinging) | Third Nine encounters Fourth Nine | The sigh of the setting sun |
| Seizing by force (rebellious clinging) | Fourth Nine contends for Fifth Six | Burning like fire, dying |
| Yielding and central (attained clinging) | Second Six yellow clinging | Supreme good fortune |
Su Shi especially emphasizes that "what is correct is difficult to unite with but ultimately firm; what is incorrect is easy to unite with but difficult to endure"—this assertion directly points to the quality of clinging relationships: union on the righteous path, though initially difficult, has deep roots; hasty union may seem easy but cannot withstand the test of time.
The Li hexagram reflects the existential predicament and relational wisdom of modern people.
The inevitability of clinging and the freedom of choice: Modern people often take "independence" as the highest value, but the Li hexagram reveals a more fundamental truth—humans cannot exist apart from all clinging. The question is not "whether to cling" but "to what to cling." Career choices, value identification, and relationship building are essentially practices of "clinging." 🔑
The modern meaning of "raising a female cow brings good fortune": Su Shi interprets "raising a female cow" as nurturing usable talent through the virtue of gentleness. In modern management, this means the leader's "softness" is not weakness but a capacity to include and bring out the best in others. A gentle master nurtures gentle subordinates, like the docility of a mother cow—the core of team building lies in the compatibility of temperaments and mutual achievement.
The leadership of "continuous brightness illuminating the four directions": Fire's characteristic of "one torch can transmit to ten thousand" corresponds to knowledge transmission and cultural inheritance in modern organizations. The core ability of an excellent leader lies in allowing brightness to continue—cultivating successors, establishing transmissible institutions and culture, rather than relying on personal brilliance.
The career revelation of "the clinging of the setting sun": The Third Nine represents a turning point in one's life stage—when past clinging relationships no longer hold (such as industry decline or skill obsolescence), Su Shi's attitude is "drumming on the clay vessel and singing, peacefully awaiting." This is not passive resignation but a wise acceptance: in the face of inevitable stage transitions, maintaining inner peace is wiser than futile struggle.
The warning of "sudden coming like fire": The tragedy of the Fourth Nine lies in "not considering that it cannot be rightfully obtained"—knowing it cannot be done yet forcefully doing it. In modern society, the root of many career crises and interpersonal conflicts lies here: transgressive desires for positions or relationships that do not belong to one, ultimately leading to being "burned, dead, and abandoned."
Relational decision framework: Before establishing any important relationship (partnership, cooperation, marriage), first examine whether "the object of clinging is correct." A correct relationship may be difficult to start but has strong sustainability; an incorrect one is the opposite. One may use the "hypothesis-action-review" method for verification: What is the hypothesized "rightness" on which this relationship depends? In action, are signs of "easy union but difficult to endure" appearing? Periodically review whether the foundation of the relationship remains solid.
Psychological adjustment during career transitions: When facing the "Third Nine" situation—the existing career clinging relationship coming to an end—one may adopt the strategy of "drumming on the clay vessel and singing": acknowledging the ending of a phase, maintaining equanimity, and waiting with prudent optimism for new opportunities for clinging, rather than acting blindly out of anxiety.
Leadership succession planning: Drawing from the concept of "continuous brightness illuminating the four directions," the core assessment indicator for leaders should be "whether your brightness can be transmitted." Specific practices include: establishing knowledge management systems, cultivating successors at multiple levels, and creating organizational operating mechanisms that do not depend on personal presence.
Boundary awareness regarding desire: The case of the Fourth Nine reminds us to first conduct an "assessment of rightful attainability" before pursuing goals—is this goal truly attainable at both the ethical and practical levels? The cost of rash action often far exceeds expectations.
The Li hexagram raises a fundamental philosophical question: what is the relationship between existence and clinging?
Su Shi's interpretation suggests a position of relational ontology—things do not first exist independently and then create relationships; rather, existence itself is the manifestation of relationship. Fire does not exist prior to "clinging"—"clinging" IS the mode of fire's existence. This brings to mind Heidegger's concept of "being-in-the-world": humans are not isolated "subjects" facing cold "objects," but are always already "in-the-world," constituted by networks of relationships.
On a deeper level, there is the paradox of brightness and its carrier: brightness needs a carrier to manifest, yet the meaning of brightness lies in transcending the carrier and illuminating in all directions. The human spiritual life is likewise—it depends on "carriers" such as the body, language, and institutions, yet its essence points to transcending these carriers. This tension is expressed in the Li hexagram as the duality of "clinging": it is both dependence and illumination.
Su Shi's treatment of the "Top Nine" is particularly exquisite: the Top Nine "separates [clings] from others but does not cling to any"—it does not cling to anyone, yet all cling to it. This seems to point toward a state of ultimate freedom: attaining freedom beyond clinging by becoming the object of others' clinging. Yet this freedom is not isolated existence but the highest position achieved within a network of relationships—a state of "kingship." This echoes the Confucian ideal of "inner sage, outer king": those whose virtue is perfected naturally become the center to whom all turn.