小畜xiaoxu
Small Taming
See also: Wilhelm commentary for Hexagram 9
Hexagram Statement
卦辭
不能畜大止健，剛志故行，是以亨。
It cannot greatly tame or halt the firm; the will of the firm therefore moves forward—hence there is success.
正義曰：「小畜亨」者，但小有所畜，唯畜九三而已。初九、九二，猶剛健得行，是以剛志，上得亨通，故云「小畜亨」也。若大畜、乾在於下，艮在於上，艮是陽卦，又能止物，能止此乾之剛健，所畜者大，故稱大畜。此卦則巽在於上，乾在於下，巽是陰，柔性，又和順，不能止畜在下之乾，唯能畜止九三，所畜狹小，故名小畜。
The Correct Meaning states: "Small Taming, success" means there is only a small measure of taming—it tames only Nine in the Third.
" In the case of Da Xu (Great Taming), Qian is below and Gen is above; Gen is a yang trigram and is able to halt things, able to halt the firm vigor of Qian, so what is tamed is great—hence it is called Great Taming.
In this hexagram, Xun is above and Qian is below; Xun is yin, of yielding nature, and harmoniously compliant—it cannot halt and tame the Qian below, and can only tame and halt Nine in the Third. What is tamed is narrow and small, hence the name Small Taming.
「密雲不雨」者，若陽之上升，陰能畜止，兩氣相薄則為雨也。今唯能畜止九三，其氣被畜，但為密雲，初九、九二，猶自上通，所以不能為雨也。「自我西郊」者，所聚密雲，由在我之西郊，去我既遠，潤澤不能行也，但聚在西郊而已。
"Dense clouds but no rain": if the yang ascends and the yin can tame and halt it, the two qi press against each other and produce rain. Now only Nine in the Third can be tamed and halted; its qi is restrained, producing only dense clouds.
Initial Nine and Nine in the Second still ascend and pass through freely, which is why there cannot be rain.
"From our western outskirts": the gathered dense clouds are located in our western outskirts; being far from us, their moisture and nourishment cannot reach us—they merely gather in the western outskirts.
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Source: eee-learning.com (易學網) · Edition: 武英殿十三經注疏