Return After Decline

This flow follows the seasonal and political image of returning: one renewed line emerges after decay and gathers strength through restraint.

increasingBearing stren­gth in each eventdecreasing

Decline Reaches Its Limit

The Old Order Wears Away Weakness rises through the figure Splitting Apart shows five divided lines below one strong line. Legge reads the image as decay in nature and as good people gradually displaced by small men. The time is unfavorable for a bold counterattack. Waiting becomes survival The remaining strong subject is advised to wait because the opposing force is too strong. Legge compares the season to the final decline of the year's warmth. The theme begins with endurance at a point of near-defeat.

The Sun Turns at Winter Solstice

A Small Turn Toward Life Nature reverses direction Legge associates Return with the winter solstice, when the sun turns and begins a gradual movement toward summer. The natural image makes renewal a change in direction before a visible triumph. The first returning strength is still small. Politics follows a similar rhythm The changes in society and government also move from decay toward renewed possibility. The book offers no final perfect state, only phases that succeed one another. The cycle's turning point is hopeful but not conclusive.

The First Return Is Praised

A Small Error Is Corrected The path is recovered early The first line shows its subject returning from a limited deviation before it demands regret. Legge identifies the strong bottom line with the way of the superior person. Early recognition prevents an error from becoming a fixed course. Great good fortune in correction The line praises return without requiring a dramatic punishment. A person can recover direction by noticing the mistake while its consequences remain small. The theme gives renewal a personal and ethical form.

One Person Returns Alone

Independence Among the Many A lone correct movement The fourth line moves among the other divided lines yet returns alone to the proper path. Legge emphasizes its distinct relation to the strong first line. The subject does not wait for everyone else to change. Integrity within company Returning alone does not mean rejecting all relationships. It means following a sound course when the surrounding group has not yet turned. The line explores how renewal can begin through a solitary act of judgment.

A Failed Return Brings Defeat

Refusal to Turn Back The wrong direction persists The final line shows someone completely astray about returning. An army launched under this judgment suffers a great defeat, damaging the ruler's state. Failure to correct one's course becomes a public disaster. Renewal has a time limit Legge says the damage may not be repaired for ten years. The number marks a long period of consequences, not an instant reversal. The cycle ends with a warning: the opportunity to return must be used before it passes.

At the ninth-month figure of Splitting Apart

At the tenth and eleventh months of the hexagram cycle

At the first line of Return

At the fourth line of Return

At the topmost line of Return