Annotated Book of Changes · Hexagram 41

sun

Decrease

See also: Wilhelm commentary for Hexagram 41

Hexagram Statement

卦辭

經 Classic Text

損兌下艮上 損,有孚,元吉,无咎可貞。利有攸往。曷之用?二簋可用享。 「曷之用,二簋可用享」者,明行損之禮,貴夫誠信,不在於豐。既行損以信,何用豐為?二簋至約,可用享祭矣,故曰「曷之用,二簋可用享」也。

Translation

Sun (Decrease): Dui below, Gen above.

Decrease. There is sincerity. Sublime Beginning and good fortune. No blame; Correctness is possible. It is Beneficial to have somewhere to go. What shall one use? Two bamboo bowls may be used for the offering.

"What shall one use? Two bamboo bowls may be used for the offering" — this clarifies that in performing the rites of Decrease, what is valued is sincere faithfulness, not abundance. Since one practices Decrease with sincerity, what need is there for lavishness?

Two bamboo bowls, being the most frugal, may be used for sacrificial offering. Therefore it says, "What shall one use? "

疏 Kong Yingda's Subcommentary

正義曰:損者,減損之名,此卦明損下益上,故謂之損。損之為義,損下益上,損剛益柔。損下益上,非補不足者也。損剛益柔,非長君子之道者也。若不以誠信,則涉諂諛而有過咎,故必有孚,然後大吉,无咎可正,而利有攸往矣,故曰「損有孚,元吉,无咎可貞,利有攸往」也。先儒皆以无咎、可貞,各自為義,言既吉而无咎,則可以為正。准下王注《彖》辭云:「損下而不為邪,益上而不為諂,則何咎而可正。」然則王意以无咎可貞共成一義,故莊氏云:「若行損有咎,則須補過以正其失。」今行損用信,則是无過可正,故云「无咎可貞」。竊謂莊氏之言得王旨矣。

Translation

" This hexagram clarifies how the lower is decreased to benefit the upper, hence it is called Decrease. The meaning of Decrease is: decrease the lower to benefit the upper, decrease the firm to benefit the yielding.

Decreasing the lower to benefit the upper is not a matter of supplementing what is insufficient. Decreasing the firm to benefit the yielding is not a matter of fostering the Way of the noble person.

If it is not done with sincere faithfulness, then one falls into flattery and sycophancy and incurs blame and fault. Therefore one must have sincerity, and only then will there be great good fortune, no blame with Correctness possible, and it will be Beneficial to have somewhere to go.

" Earlier scholars all treated "no blame" and "Correctness is possible" as separate meanings, saying that once there is good fortune and no blame, then one can be correct. " Thus Wang Bi's intent was that "no blame, Correctness is possible" together form a single meaning.

" I humbly consider that Zhuang's words capture Wang Bi's intent.

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Source: eee-learning.com (易學網) · Edition: 武英殿十三經注疏