Holding Together

The first line seeks union through sincerity. The text asks that the breast be full of it “as an earthenware vessel is of its contents”, and Wilhelm closes the line with “Good fortune comes from without.”

Legge says the vessel “is supposed to indicate its plain, unadorned character”. He also asks where the sincerity comes from, and finds nothing in the position and nature of the line to suggest it, beyond the general idea of the figure.

When only this line changes, it becomes hexagram 3, Difficulty at the Beginning

Here the movement toward union comes from within, and with firm correctness the text gives good fortune. The commentary says that the person “does not fail in what is proper to himself”.

Legge points to the place of the line. He writes that “Line 2 is the proper correlate of 5”, and that its position in the centre of the lower trigram agrees with a movement “proceeding from the inward mind”.

When only this line changes, it becomes hexagram 29, The Abysmal

The text of this line names neither good fortune nor evil. It shows union sought “with such as ought not to be associated with”, and the commentary only asks a question, “but will not injury be the result?”

Legge lists what is supposed to account for this. “Line 3 is weak, not in the centre, nor in its correct place.” The lines above and below it are weak too. Wilhelm puts the whole line in one sentence, “You hold together with the wrong people.”

When only this line changes, it becomes hexagram 39, Obstruction

The union here looks upward. Legge explains that the one beyond the subject of this line “is the ruler or king, who is the subject of 5, and with whom union ought to be sought”.

The commentary agrees that the object is a worthy one and says of the subject that “he is following (the ruler) above him”. Legge notes that the divided line “is in a place proper to it” and adds the condition for the good fortune. “If its subject be firm and correct, there will be good fortune.”

When only this line changes, it becomes hexagram 45, Gathering Together

This is the only whole line, and the text calls it “the most illustrious instance of seeking union and attachment”. Its subject is the king, who in Legge's note “must be the centre of union”. He pursues the game in three directions only and lets the animals before him escape. The commentary finds the good fortune in “the correct and central position” of the line.

Legge explains the hunt. One side of the enclosure “was left open and unguarded”, which he calls “a proof of the royal benevolence, which did not want to make an end of all the game”. The people know this benevolence and try to give it effect.

From the hunt Legge draws the kind of union the hexagram has in view. It is “characterised by mutual confidence and appreciation in virtue and benevolence”.

When only this line changes, it becomes hexagram 2, The Receptive

The top line is the one line whose text ends in evil. It shows one seeking union “without having taken the first step (to such an end)”, and the commentary sees “no possibility of a (good) issue”.

Legge's note says “It is too late. The time is past.” Wilhelm's version of the line is “He finds no head for holding together.” Legge reads the missing head as the missing first step, the one “from which its action should begin, and go on to the end”.

When only this line changes, it becomes hexagram 20, Contemplation