Hexagram 36 · 明夷

Earth covers fire, hiding brightness beneath the surface. Clear awareness remains within while outward conduct becomes yielding. Ming Yi means the wounding or darkening of brightness. Its image asks how understanding can be preserved when open expression meets an unsympathetic environment.

1. Line 1 · 初九

   明夷于飛，垂其翼。君子于行，三日不食，有攸往，主人有言。

   Brightness is wounded in flight; its wings hang down. The exemplary person travels for three days without eating. Having somewhere to go, the host has words of complaint.

   Nine in the first place is yang recognizing difficulty early enough to depart. The Small Image stresses a principled choice, like leaving a compromising assignment despite inconvenience and a disappointed organizer.

2. Line 2 · 六二

   明夷，夷于左股，用拯馬壯，吉。

   Brightness is wounded in the left thigh. Using a strong horse to bring rescue: good fortune.

   Six in the second place is central and fitting yin responding within proper bounds. The Small Image credits that conduct, like asking a capable colleague for practical help before a workplace problem consumes further attention.

3. Line 3 · 九三

   明夷于南狩，得其大首，不可疾貞。

   Brightness is wounded during the southern hunt. One captures the great chief. Do not press the correction hastily.

   Nine in the third place is yang able to address a central source of obstruction. The Small Image sees its purpose substantially achieved, like removing a faulty procedure while giving staff time to learn its replacement.

4. Line 4 · 六四

   入于左腹，獲明夷之心，于出門庭。

   Entering the left side of the belly, one grasps the heart of the darkening and goes out through the gate and courtyard.

   Six in the fourth place is yin close enough to understand the inner problem. The Small Image emphasizes grasping intention, like recognizing how an unhealthy committee operates and arranging a careful departure.

5. Line 5 · 六五

   箕子之明夷，利貞。

   Jizi's darkening of the light. Constancy is beneficial.

   Six in the fifth place is central yin preserving clarity under severe constraint. The Small Image says brightness cannot be extinguished, like someone maintaining honest standards quietly when direct confrontation would make useful work impossible.

6. Line 6 · 上六

   不明晦，初登于天，後入于地。

   Not brightness, but darkness. First rising into heaven, afterward entering the earth.

   Six at the top is yin at obscurity's extreme, losing the standard it once displayed. The Small Image contrasts broad illumination with lost measure, like a prominent leader undermining trust through increasingly arbitrary decisions.

Preserve clarity without displaying it at every opportunity. Use tact and practical support, and keep your inner standard distinct from the surrounding pressure.

• Nuclear解40
• Inverted晉35
• Opposite訟6
• Previous晉35
• Next家人37