Yi, nine at the beginningHexagram 27, line 1 · Yi (Nourishment) · changing to 23
The line
In plain wordsYou put aside your own sacred tortoise, which can live without eating, and watch me eating with cheeks bulging, your mouth watering. Misfortune. You had enough of your own, yet greed stirred and you envied others.
The Image commentary on this line
觀我朵頤，亦不足貴也。
To "watch my jaws at work": this too deserves no esteem.
The small Image commentary is the earliest explanation of the line texts. It usually explains a line from its position: where it stands, whether it holds the center, and which line answers it.
Verdict
止Hold back. This text describes a bad outcome. Carry on as you are and you will lose by it. Stop, step aside or change your approach. Do not force it.
How to read good fortune, misfortune, regret, humiliation and no blame →
Asking about work, love or money
- Work
- Your own abilities are enough, yet you keep staring enviously at other people's positions and pay. Stop. Comparing like this only makes you lose your own strengths; turn back and do your own work well.
- Love
- Stop gazing with envy at other people's love lives. You have your own good qualities, and holding them up against others only leaves you less and less satisfied. Stop comparing, and bring your heart back home.
- Money
- Don't get envious and follow the crowd just because others are earning more. Your own livelihood is enough; drop it to chase what is in someone else's bowl and you will only lose out. Put a stop to that idea.
This is how to read it when this is the only changing line. With several changing lines, first see which text governs; for the hexagram as a whole, see Yi.
Line position
A yang line in a yang place: it is in its proper place. Its partner is the fourth line, which is its opposite, so the two answer each other.
First place: the beginning of the matter. Low position, little power. Begin carefully.
When you get this line
If this is the only changing line in your cast (three backs, old yang), this line is your answer. The primary hexagram is Yi (Nourishment); when this line changes it becomes Bo (Splitting Apart): hexagram 27 changing to 23.
Which text to read with several changing lines →
Resulting hexagram · Bo (Splitting Apart)
The foundation is being hollowed out bit by bit. This is no time to act.