Hexagram 36

Cast 08/24/18 six at 2 nine at 3

36. Ming I / Darkening of the Light

Here the sun has sunk under the earth and is therefore darkened. The name of the hexagram means literally “wounding of the bright”; hence the individual lines contain frequent references to wounding. The situation is the exact opposite of that in the foregoing hexagram. In the latter a wise man at the head of affairs has able helpers, and in company with them makes progress; here a man of dark nature is in a position of authority and brings harm to the wise and able man.

THE JUDGMENT

DARKENING OF THE LIGHT. In adversity

It furthers one to be persevering.

One must not unresistingly let himself be swept along by unfavorable circumstances, nor permit his steadfastness to be shaken. He can avoid this by maintaining his inner light, while remaining outwardly yielding and tractable. With this attitude he can overcome even the greatest adversities.

In some situations indeed a man must hide his light, in order to make his will prevail in spite of difficulties in his immediate environment. Perseverance must dwell in inmost consciousness and should not be discernible from without. Only thus is a man able to maintain his will in the face of difficulties.

THE IMAGE

The light has sunk into the earth:

The image of DARKENING OF THE LIGHT.

Thus does the superior man live with the great mass:

He veils his light, yet still shines.

In a time of darkness it is essential to be cautious and reserved. One should not needlessly awaken overwhelming enmity by inconsiderate behavior. In such times one ought not to fall in with the practices of others; neither should one drag them censoriously into the light. In social intercourse one should not try to be all-knowing. One should let many things pass, without being duped.

THE LINES

Nine at the beginning means:

Darkening of the light during flight.

He lowers his wings.

The superior man does not eat for three days

On his wanderings.

But he has somewhere to go.

The host has occasion to gossip about him.

With grandiose resolve a man endeavors to soar above all obstacles, but thus encounters a hostile fate. He retreats and evades the issue. The time is difficult. Without rest, he must hurry along, with no permanent abiding place. If he does not want to make compromises within himself, but insists on remaining true to his principles, he suffers deprivation. Nevertheless he has a fixed goal to strive for, even though the people with whom he lives do not understand him and speak ill of him.

Six in the second place means:

Darkening of the light injures him in the left thigh.

He gives aid with the strength of a horse.

Good fortune.

Here the Lord of Light is in a subordinate place and is wounded by the Lord of Darkness. But the injury is not fatal; it is only a hindrance. Rescue is still possible. The wounded man gives no thought to himself; he thinks only of saving the others who are also in danger. Therefore he tries with all his strength to save all that can be saved. There is good fortune in thus acting according to duty.

Nine in the third place means:

Darkening of the light during the hunt in the south.

Their great leader is captured.

One must not expect perseverance too soon.

It seems as if chance were at work. While the strong, loyal man is striving eagerly and in good faith to create order, he meets the ringleader of the disorder, as if by accident, and seizes him. Thus victory is achieved. But in abolishing abuses one must not be too hasty. This would turn out badly because the abuses have been in existence so long.

Six in the fourth place means:

He penetrates the left side of the belly.

One gets at the very heart of the darkening of the light,

And leaves gate and courtyard.

We find ourselves close to the commander of darkness and so discover his most secret thoughts. In this way we realize that there is no longer any hope of improvement, and thus we are enabled to leave the scene of disaster before the storm breaks.

Six in the fifth place means:

Darkening of the light as with Prince Chi.

Perseverance furthers.

Prince Chi lived at the court of the evil tyrant Chou Hsin, who, although not mentioned by name, furnishes the historical example on which this whole situation is based. Prince Chi was a relative of the tyrant and could not withdraw from court; therefore he concealed his true sentiments and feigned insanity. Although he was held a slave, he did not allow external misery to deflect him from his convictions.

This provides a teaching for those who cannot leave their posts in times of darkness. In order to escape danger, they need invincible perseverance of spirit and redoubled caution in their dealings with the world.

Six at the top means:

Not light but darkness.

First he climbed up to heaven,

Then he plunged into the depths of the earth.

Here the climax of the darkening is reached. The dark power at first held so high a place that it could wound all who were on the side of good and of the light. But in the end it perishes of its own darkness, for evil must itself fall at the very moment when it has wholly overcome the good, and thus consumed the energy to which it owed its duration.

The Commentaries

This hexagram has for its characterizing image the sun sunk below the earth. The six at the top stands for the greatest accumulation of earth, hence it is the line that damages and darkens the light of the others. It is the ruler determining the meaning of the hexagram. Both the six in the second place and the six in the fifth place have the attributes of central and devoted character, and it is they that are injured. They are the rulers governing the hexagram. Hence it is said in the Commentary on the Decision: “King Wên experienced this, Prince Chi experienced this.”

The Sequence

Expansion will certainly encounter resistance and injury. Hence there follows the hexagram of DARKENING OF THE LIGHT. Darkening means damage, injury.

Miscellaneous Notes

DARKENING OF THE LIGHT means injury.

The whole hexagram has a historical background. For at the time when King Wên wrote the judgments on the hexagrams, conditions in China were just as this hexagram pictures them. In the judgments on the lines, the Duke of Chou refers to Prince Chi as exemplifying the situation. Confucius carries this further in the Commentary on the Decision by adding the example of King Wên.

Later on—quite in keeping with the meaning—historical personages came to be linked with each of the lines. The evil ruler was Chou Hsin,1 the last king of the Yin dynasty. He is symbolized by the six at the top. Under him the most able princes of the realm were all made to suffer severely, and their fates are mirrored in the individual lines. The highminded Po I withdrew into hiding with his brother, Shu Ch’i. He is represented by the nine at the beginning. The six in the second place pictures King Wên, who, as the foremost of the feudal princes, was long held prisoner by the tyrant, with constant danger to his life. The nine in the third place represents his son, afterward King Wu of Chou, who overthrew the tyrant. The six in the fourth place depicts the situation of Prince Wei Tzu who was able to save himself by timely flight abroad. Finally, the six in the fifth place depicts the situation of Prince Chi, who could save his life only by dissembling.

This hexagram is the inverse of the preceding one.

THE JUDGMENT

DARKENING OF THE LIGHT. In adversity

It furthers one to be persevering.

Commentary on the Decision

The light has sunk into the earth: DARKENING OF THE LIGHT. Beautiful and clear within, gentle and devoted without, hence exposed to great adversity—thus was King Wên.

“In adversity it furthers one to be persevering”: this means veiling one’s light. Surrounded by difficulties in the midst of his closest kin, nonetheless keeping his will fixed on the right—thus was Prince Chi.

The inner trigram is Li, light, whose attributes are beauty and clarity; the outer trigram is K’un, the Receptive, whose attributes are yieldingness and devotion. King Wên, in whom these attributes are seen united, is depicted in one of the rulers of the hexagram, the six in the second place.

Prince Chi is depicted by the six in the fifth place. He too is in difficulties; these are represented by the nuclear trigram K’an, the Abysmal, danger. King Wên is as it were hidden by this nuclear trigram over him. For the six in the fifth place the difficulties lie within, that is, below. It is not overcome by them because it is at the top of the upper nuclear trigram Chên, movement. By movement it gets clear of the difficulties, and the light, although jeopardized, cannot be extinguished.

THE IMAGE

The light has sunk into the earth:

The image of DARKENING OF THE LIGHT.

Thus does the superior man live with the great mass:

He veils his light, yet still shines.

The upper trigram K’un means the mass. Amid the multitude are the two dominating rulers of the hexagram, as the superior men. Their behavior is explained on the basis of the relative positions of the two trigrams: Earth stands over light, and this suggests a veiling of the light. But the lower trigram Li is not injured in its character by this combination. Its light is only veiled, not extinguished.

THE LINES

Nine at the beginning:

a) Darkening of the light during flight.

He lowers his wings.

The superior man does not eat for three days

On his wanderings.

But he has somewhere to go.

The host has occasion to gossip about him.

b) It is the obligation of the superior man to refrain from eating during his wanderings.

The animal symbol belonging to the trigram Li is the pheasant, hence the idea of flying. The line, being strong, is about to advance. But the nuclear trigram over it is K’an, danger; hence it is hindered in its flight. It renounces the idea of sacrificing its principles in order to secure a livelihood; it prefers going hungry to eating without honor.

Six in the second place:

a) Darkening of the light injures him in the left thigh.

He gives aid with the strength of a horse.

Good fortune.

b) The good fortune of the six in the second place comes from its devotion to the rule.

One might expect misfortune from the situation, yet the oracle is, “Good fortune.” This is because the line, being yielding, correct, and in the proper place, is equal to the demands of its position. The first half of the Commentary on the Decision, which uses the example of King Wên, has reference to this line.

Nine in the third place:

a) Darkening of the light during the hunt in the south.

Their great leader is captured.

One must not expect perseverance too soon.

b) The purpose of the hunt in the south has great success.

The aim is centered on the hunt. That success comes, that the great leader of the darkening is captured, is not something premeditated, hence the success is all the greater. King Wu had no intention of acquiring personal power and seizing empire for himself; it fell to him because of his character. The line is a strong one in a strong place, hence it carries out its intention. The upper nuclear trigram Chên is linked with the horse, the lower, K’an, with the chariot, hence the idea of a hunt. Li, in which this is the top line, is the south.

Six in the fourth place:

a) He penetrates the left side of the belly.

One gets at the very heart of the darkening of the light,

And leaves gate and courtyard.

b) “He penetrates the left side of the belly,” that is, he finds out the inmost sentiment of the heart.

K’un, the upper primary trigram, means the belly, and Chên, the upper nuclear trigram, means the left side—hence the left side of the belly. The line stands near the lord of darkness; thus it finds out his inmost sentiment and can take itself out of danger in good time. Staying on would mean sacrificing oneself to no purpose.

Six in the fifth place:

a) Darkening of the light as with Prince Chi.

Perseverance furthers.

b) The perseverance of Prince Chi shows that the light cannot be extinguished.

The second half of the Commentary on the Decision refers to this line, which is central and yielding. Prince Chi concealed his perseverance but maintained it inwardly. Similarly, the light of the sun is veiled from time to time, but it cannot be extinguished. The upper nuclear trigram Chên, in which this is the top line, means being aroused, pressing forward. Thus the light cannot be permanently held below but presses forward powerfully when the time has come.

Six at the top:

a) Not light but darkness.

First he climbed up to heaven,

Then he plunged into the depths of the earth.

b) “First he climbed up to heaven.” Thus he might have been able to illumine the lands of all the four quarters of the earth.

“Then he plunged into the depths of the earth,” because he had lost the rule.

First he held a position through which he might have been able to enlighten all the people of the realm. Instead, however, he made it his business to injure men, and thus transgressed the rule that binds one who governs; as a result, he prepared his own downfall.

The line stands at the top, where the earth veils the sun most heavily; but it is also the first to be unmasked in its sinister character when the sun reappears.

1. [Overthrown ca. 1150 B.C.]