The Forest of Changes (Sample Chapter Copyright 2015, Christopher Gait)

15 Humility
15 - 15
Wang Zi Qiao1 has no illness,
He ages without pain.
Abandoning home and losing his shoes,
We are exhausted by trying to follow him.
15 - 1
Whispers in the sunlight,
Secret deals in the dark.
Many words and little substance,
In the end accomplishing nothing.
15 - 2
The North Star is at the core of the Purple
Palace,2
By clothing and cap establishing the central.
By using benevolence to establish virtuous
power,
Great are the repeated blessings.
If you use a lead knife to cut through jade,
The capable will not be able to accomplish
anything.
15 - 3
The stars of Eastern Wall3 burn brightly
indeed,

Wang Zi Qiao, started as the heir apparent in

Jin, son of King Ling of Zhou. According to
Daoist legend he wandered the mountains of
Henan for thirty years, becoming an immortal.
He met his family one more time, waving in the
distance from the back of a crane, never to be
seen among mortals again.
2 The constellation where the North Star is found
is called the Purple Palace in Chinese and is a
symbol of the royal palace of the emperor. Ursa
Minor, and parts of Camelopardalis, Draco,
1

Cepheus and Cassiopeia.

But even they cannot pierce this murk.

The rulers mother is consumed with
jealousy,
It throws all our affairs into chaos.
15 - 4
The lower man debases, the upper man
aspires,
A struggle of dark and light.
Zi Yings4 head is split,
Cheng Sheng destroys his own palace.5
15 - 5
The phoenixes are born on Mount Gui Ji6
Growing up they quickly take wing.
They soar over distant Gui Lin,
There becoming the lords of the birds.
15 - 6
Digging a shaft to look for jade,
Thinking himself Bian He7 finding treasure.
Exhausting his body and shaming his name,
He gains nothing.

Dong Bi, the Eastern Wall, is one of the Chinese

lunar mansions. It consists of Gamma of Pegasus
and Alpha of Andromeda. Alpha Andromeda is
the brightest star of its type.
4 Zi Ying was the third and final emperor of the
short-lived Qin Dynasty. He was either a brother
or a grandson of Shi Huang Di, the first emperor.
After surrendering to Liu Bang, first emperor of
the Han Dynasty he was killed, along with his
family, by the rebel leader Xiang Yu.
5 Cheng She was the leader of a famous peasant
revolt against the Qin. His behavior is used in
several places in the Forest of Changes as
examples of foolish and self-destructive actions.
6 A mountain in Shandong Province, traditionally
the place Yu the Great was buried.
7 Bian He was a commoner who found a stone
which subsequently was found to contain the jade
which became the Jade Disc of He, Chinas
imperial seal and the most precious jade object of
antiquity. The legend is found in the Han Fei Zi.
3

The Forest of Changes (Sample Chapter Copyright 2015, Christopher Gait)

15 - 7

Basking in the glory and honors.

The worthies of a nation take up their

spears,
Making their way east to Dong Lai.8
The hundred officials rise to the task,
Their lord is well pleased.

15 - 12
Treading dangerous ground,
Escaping dire straits and avoiding disaster.
Entering the gates of joyous good fortune,
Granted an audience with the states ruler.

15 - 8
15 - 13
In An Xi (Parthia) and Kang Ju (Sogdiana),
A foreign land, a land of yurts.
Not our ways,
Our heart is anxious about being sent there.

The Gong and Shang notes in harmony10

Voice follows instrument.
The black horses are outside the gate,11
The ruler is well pleased.

15 - 9
15 - 14
Yangtze, Yellow River, Huai River and the
sea,
Gathering the resources of all under heaven
as in a storehouse.
The businessman receives the blessing,
The nation becomes wealthy.

Heaven and earth both receive sacrifice,

The six places are full of glorious
brightness.12
Yin and Yang in orderly succession.
Merit receiving its due reward.

15 - 10
15 - 16
Different leaves share the same trunk,
Rejoicing in humanity and making virtuous
power the priority.
Our eastern neighbors admire righteousness,
They come to support our country.9
15 - 11
The white crane holds a pearl in its mouth,
In the middle of the night, a bright light.
In the midst of darkness the heart awaits the
kindness and glory of a person of good
repute,
In Shandong Province.
The verse echoes the history of the Zhou
conquest of the Shang. The eastern allies,
inspired by the virtuous power of Kings Wen and
Wu, allied themselves with the Zhou to form an
army to overthrow the tyrant Zhou of Shang.
8
9

Yangtze, Yellow River, Huai River and the

sea,
Gathering the resources of all under heaven
as in a storehouse.
The people can gather profits,
Enjoying plenty,
And our noble rejoices.
15 - 17
Two ducks flying together,
Gong and Shang are the first notes of the
Chinese scale.
11 The Black Horses at the Gate is also the name
of a traditional song sung at departures.
12 One commentator holds that this represents
the pair of the first trigrams of the Book of
Changes, Qian and Kun, with the six places
representing the other six child trigrams.
10

The Forest of Changes (Sample Chapter Copyright 2015, Christopher Gait)

Returning to the rice paddy to seek food.
Wounded by arrows as they pass through the
reeds,
The sight of it harrows the heart.

A new age dawns and with it a new cycle of

days.

15 - 18

Ten pheasant hens and a hundred chicks,

Waddling along behind the mother.
So protective she would fight a tiger,
Who dares block her way?

Four brothers together,

In the evening, sleeping.
Sleeping naked at night,
Awaking blind.
Their money bags lost,
They just lie down by the road.13
15 - 19
Shun succeeds the Accomplished Ancestor
on the throne,14
Receiving a decaying realm and rebuilding
it.
Using righteousness to control his own
actions,
Though there is bitterness there is no blame.
15 - 20
The Celestial Pivot aligns with the Big
Dipper,
In accordance with heaven's way, thus
without worry.
Dwelling with joy.

15 - 22

15 - 23
Jie of Xia and Robber Zhi were similar,15
The people suffered bitterly.
Taking provisions and arms on their
shoulders,
Fighting in Lu and Qi.
15 - 24
The poems of Grand Tutor Yin (of Zhou):
Lofty is that Southern Hill and The
Angry Terrors of Compassionate Heaven16,
Both ridicule the royal government of King
You of Zhou17.
Not fearing for his own safety,
He felt the pain of the innocents,
The common people are full of resentment,
They see the government as bandits and
enemies.
15 - 25

15 - 21
The hosts of Zhou march against the tyrant
Zhou Xin,
In Mu Field the armies meet and the tyrant
is defeated.

A hundred rivers run into the sea,

Flowing without cease.
Though the way is long,
All arrive at their destination.

Two figures from antiquity known for ferocious

wickedness.
16 In the Book of Songs, Mao 195 and 191.
17 Last king of the Western Zhou, whose defeat
led to the Zhou center of power moving East. he
was known for his drunken and debauched ways.
15

This verse has been assembled from this, 17 26 and 60 - 59. The text still remains a bit foggy
for me.
14 The Accomplished Ancestor in this context is
Yao.
13

The Forest of Changes (Sample Chapter Copyright 2015, Christopher Gait)

15 - 26
Sleepless, eyes cannot close,
Approaching with trembling legs.
Fear becomes dread,
Leaving our land.
15 - 27
The crow of the sun and the magpies arise
together,
Shining down on the eastern sea.
Pang Jiang and Ting Jian are two
descendants of Gao Yang.18
Their fief is assigned in the hills of Liao,19
Long is their legacy of position and wealth.
15 - 28
In the north are many jujubes,
We gather the oranges and pomelos in great
quantity.
Loading the wagon with sacks of millet,
Putting the baskets, round and square, on
our backs.
15 - 29
Gathering without sowing,
Prey gotten without hunting,
The officials family eats more than it
merits.
They turn their backs on the people,
Our hearts grieve for this.
15 - 30

Putting on the sheepskin cap,

The court robes of a noble.
Assisting the ruler with virtuous power,
All the nations join together in peace.
15 - 31
The states of Qi and Lu quarrel,
They fight at the Dragon Gate,20
This enmity is so great,
It lasts to the third generation.21
15 - 32
The rain goes on and on,
The roads are all awash in mud.
The businessman cannot travel,
The market has no goods.
15 - 33
The wren and the Japanese grosbeak,
Weave their nest of small twigs.
The slightest breeze disturbs their peace,
The nest swaying in the branches.
With the cold weather comes constant
trembling and anxiety.
15 - 34
Guard against trouble and prepare for
disasters,
And misfortune will not rage.
Though difficulties still arise, their
consequence will not be disastrous,
But the mind can never rest.22
See note on 1 17.
From the Zuo Zhuan, Duke Cheng, year two: It
is recorded that Qi invaded the northern borders
of Lu. They laid siege to Long (Dragon). Du
Qings favorite, Lu Pu Jiu, was taken prisoner by
the people of Long and executed by the
townspeople. Qin Gu of Pi took the city in three
days.
20

Gao Yang, or Zhuan Su, was the grandson of

the Yellow Emperor, a sage king of ancient China
whose cult was very popular in the Han Dynasty.
He was associated with the calendar system, the
Pole Star, and a historic migration to the East, as
alluded to in this verse.
19 In present day Henan.
18

21

The Forest of Changes (Sample Chapter Copyright 2015, Christopher Gait)

15 - 35

15 - 39

Neck outstretched, and still lacking food.

Living in a different house from mother.
Not seeing loved ones anywhere,
With whom can one talk?

The right eye lacking a pupil,

And both eyes crossed,
Ten paces away,
How do they know who it is?

15 - 36

15 - 40

Loach and shrimp come out of the sea,

They hide themselves in the mud.
The streets and alleys are narrow,
Allowing no free movement.
The north and south poles are far apart,
Hungry and thirsty and becoming ill.

The sound of the cicada becomes sweet to

the ear,
Lush the growing trees and grasses.
All kind of fruits are ripening,
The harvest grows richer by the day.
15 - 41

15 - 37
Reverence, broad-mindedness, sincerity,
diligence,23
With these ones accomplishments can
stretch to the ends of the earth.24
Doing away with bad omens,
Happiness comes from an aunt.
15 - 38
Hungry years, years of famine,
The people harmed by the tyrannical
government.
Gan Xi and Mount Li,25
Qin and Chu in a state of war.
This verse is very reminiscent of the modern
quote: The price of peace is eternal vigilance.
23 From the Analects, 17:6, Hinton (2013). The
verse here leaves out the fifth value, generosity.
24 Literally within the four seas.
25 Gan Xi is the purported burial place of King
Ling of Chu, a notable tyrant. His death was a
suicide after a rebellion of both nobles and
commoners against his rule. Mount Li (literally
Dark Horse Mountain), is the location of the
tomb of Qin Shi Huang Di, the first emperor of
China, founder of the Qin dynasty.
22

Practicing virtuous power without effort,

Quiet sitting, unconcerned.
Moving into wealth as easily as taking the
road home,
Entering an old age of security and honor.
15 - 42
The wily hare jumps and leaps,
The faithful hound snaps at its heels.
The male pheasant is taken,
Seized in the claws of a hawk.
15 - 43
In spring the peach tree blossoms,
This young lady is going to her future
home.26
Many blessings, many years,
The young man becomes a noble lord.
15 - 44
This line, and the foundation of this entire
verse, is taken from the Book of Songs, Mao 6.
26

The Forest of Changes (Sample Chapter Copyright 2015, Christopher Gait)

The stone of the mountain,

Worn down by the elements, collapses,
The collapse, once begun, expands,
Above and below are not of one mind,
The ruler suffers a baleful calamity.

There the immortals stroll about,

It benefits to tarry there,
Long remaining without blame or regret.
15 - 49

The flood sweeps our place away,

Flowing east to the sea.
Now ducks and turtles play on the land,
And our house is not to be seen.

The hawk31 and the turtledove move their

nests,
Moving westward to a peaceful island.
Sudden thunder mixed with hail knocks
down the reeds.
In times of cold and hunger in the home,
Our thoughts turn to our old place.

15 - 46

15 - 50

A heart of seven apertures,

The body is that of a dragon. 27
Producing the eight figures,28
In harmony with the time, spreading
kindness,
Wealth and honor lasting forever.

A dog without its front legs,

A treacherous plot comes from the north.
But it is the traitors who are harmed.

15 - 45

15 - 47
The four tribes of the borders come seeking
virtuous power,
They assist our country.
King Wen ascends and descends,29
All enjoy his gracious favor.
15 - 48
Aloft on Mount Hua and Shou Yang,30

This refers to Fu Xi, the first of the sage kings.

He and his wife had the bodies of
serpents/dragons. The sages heart traditionally
had seven openings, unlike other men.
28 Fu Xi traditionally elaborated the eight
trigrams of the Yi Jing.
29 A reference to King Wen found in the Book of
Songs Mao 235 et al in which he ascends and
descends before the Supreme Deity.
27

15 - 51
The nine in the fifth place fights for the top,
Many the regrets and delusions.
The wagon overturns, the canopy is lost,
A body used to excitement.
Accustomed to attaining desires,
Male and female unite.
15 - 52
Pigs gathered at an empty trough,
The piglets cannot reach it.
Letting an arrow fly at the chickens,
The rooster desperately tries to fly away.
15 - 53

According to legend these two neighboring

mountains in Shaanxi were once a single
mountain that was split in two by one of the gods.
31 Though commonly translated as hawk this
term is an unknown raptor.
30

The Forest of Changes (Sample Chapter Copyright 2015, Christopher Gait)

The night is long, the day is short,
Yin overcomes Yang.
The myriad things, emptied and withered,
Hide themselves beneath the earth.

Waiting all the day,

Not seeing the officer of Qi.

15 - 54

The words at Han Dan are not important,

Father and elder brother encounter disaster.
Cheng She lashed out in fear,
But it did not save him from sudden death.36

The warrior in the field hates his garrison

commander,
The cause of his calamity32,
It is because of him he will not see his
parents again.
15 - 55
Bowing down in a kowtow,
Not allowed to eat.
The soldiers, gagged to prevent them from
crying out,
March silently northward.33
15 - 56
The handmaiden of You Xin,34
Becomes great Yus queen in Xia.
The husband a man of honor, the children
living long.
A model mother for all.
15 - 57
Ji Ji35 hesitates,
Awaiting Lord Meng by the walls.
This refers to the Book of Songs, Mao 185.
I suspect this verse is corrupt and have filled in
from 2 - 41. Otherwise the verse here is, as close
as I can come to it:
32
33

Bowing low, asking to be spared,

No virtuous power of stink and rot.
Furrowed brows and chewed fingers.
Head lowered and marching north.
This refers to the mother Yu the Great, tamer
of floods and one of the sage emperors.
35 See note on 7 - 13.

15 - 58

15 - 59
Chasing the deer to the mountaintop,
Benefit from going to our west.
But the way runs north to south,
So theres nothing to be gained.
15 - 60
An animal bound to a tree by a pierced nose,
Fallen upon by a tiger.
A sacrifice to the Queen Mother of the
West,
Disaster strikes but the calamity is not
complete.
Suddenly arising and resolved by itself.
15 - 61
Tiger and wolves, black bears and brown
bears,
All play in the mountain valley.
The noble is altruistic and capable,
He attains his desires.
15 - 62
Plum blossoms bear fruit in winter,37
The country is overrun with bandits.
Disturbances are constant,
And the ruler cannot govern.
15 - 63

34

36
37

See note on 2 - 38.

See note on 3 - 7.

The Forest of Changes (Sample Chapter Copyright 2015, Christopher Gait)

The emperors visit falls short,

The memorial to the throne does not reach.
The ruler goes hunting,
His dog stumbles, not catching the hare.
15 - 64
A thousand pillars and a hundred beams,
Solid and unbending,
Lasting to the end without collapse.
Altruistic and wise the sages,
Who bring peace to the temple of the Zhou.