Kun, nine in the fifth placeHexagram 47, line 5 · Kun (Exhaustion) · changing to 40
The line
In plain wordsYour nose cut off, your feet cut off — hurt from above and from below, and the official robe you wear has itself become a trouble. But keep to the middle way, and relief will slowly come. It is fitting to meet this with the sincerity of a sacrifice; given time, blessing comes of itself.
The Image commentary on this line
劓刖，志未得也。乃徐有說，以中直也。利用祭祀，受福也。
"Nose cut off, feet cut off": the purpose is not yet fulfilled. "Then slowly comes relief": because it is central and straight. "It is favorable to offer sacrifice": one receives blessing.
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
平Neutral. Neither good nor bad. Do your part, correct mistakes, and nothing will go wrong.
How to read good fortune, misfortune, regret, humiliation and no blame →
Asking about work, love or money
- Work
- Pressed from above and pushed from below, your very position has become a burden. Don't rush to solve it all at once; hold to what is fair and straight, deal with things one at a time with a sincere heart, and slowly it will loosen.
- Love
- In love you are caught between two sides and can satisfy neither, and the more you try to take charge, the more you get hurt. Don't rush to force an outcome or take either side; handle it slowly and sincerely, and it will ease in time.
- Money
- With money you are bleeding at both ends, and your very position and title make it hard to get free. Don't rush to cut everything off at once; keep things fair, treat the people involved sincerely, and slowly there will be room to turn things around.
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 Kun.
Line position
A yang line in a yang place: it is in its proper place; it holds the center of its trigram. Its partner is the second line, which is also yang, so there is no answer from it.
Fifth place: the center of the upper trigram, the ruler's seat, a place of achievement. This is where things are decided.
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 Kun (Exhaustion); when this line changes it becomes Xie (Release): hexagram 47 changing to 40.
Which text to read with several changing lines →
Resulting hexagram · Xie (Release)
The difficulty is lifting; you can breathe out.