Hexagram 62 of 64
小過
Preponderance of the Small
Xiǎo Guò
Upper Trigram
震
Thunder
Arousing, Movement
Thunder · Eldest Son
Lower Trigram
艮
Mountain
Keeping Still, Resting
Mountain · Youngest Son
The Judgment
Preponderance of the Small. Success. Perseverance furthers. Small things may be done; great things should not be done. The flying bird brings the message: It is not well to strive upward; it is well to remain below. Great good fortune.
Thunder over the mountain — too much movement above, too much stillness below. The small exceeds; the great is not the right focus. Like a bird that should not fly too high, this is a time for meticulous attention to small things, modest actions, and remaining within one's proper sphere.
The Image
Thunder on the mountain — the image of Preponderance of the Small. Thus in his conduct the superior person gives preponderance to reverence. In bereavement they give preponderance to grief. In their expenditures they give preponderance to thrift.
In every department of life — ceremony, emotion, finances — lean toward the more modest and careful expression. Excess in smallness is still safer than excess in grandeur.
The Six Lines
Line 1
The bird meets with misfortune through flying.
Attempting to fly before one is ready — seeking heights beyond one's actual capacity — leads directly to a fall.
Line 2
She passes by her ancestor and meets her ancestress. He does not reach his prince and meets the official. No blame.
Missing the grand connection but finding the appropriate, real one. The official — not the prince — is the right meeting for this moment.
Line 3
If one is not extremely careful, somebody may come up from behind and strike him. Misfortune.
The very inattentiveness that comes with small success creates vulnerability. Guard the rear; danger comes where you are not looking.
Line 4
No blame. He meets him without passing by. Going brings danger. One must be on guard. Do not act. Be constantly persevering.
The exact middle course — neither advancing too far nor retreating. Constant watchful steadiness is what this moment requires.
Line 5
Dense clouds, no rain from our western territory. The prince shoots and hits him who is in the cave.
Near success without full completion — the effort has been right and the aim true, but the full result has not yet manifested.
Line 6
He passes him by, not meeting him. The flying bird leaves him. Misfortune. This means bad luck and injury.
The moment of meeting missed entirely — the connection gone, the bird flown. This overreaching, this excess, brings the worst outcome.
For contemplation and self-reflection only. Not a substitute for professional advice.