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Yi. Lucky, if just. Observe the feeding, and look at your food.

Exposition.

"Lucky if just "this

means that, if the means by which one feeds himself is just, one will be lucky.

To "observe the feeding," is to observe the means by which one feeds himself. To "look at your food," is to observe the manner in which one feeds himself. The heaven and the earth nourish all things. Sages patronize wise men, and through them, the whole people. Great is the time of Yi!

Interpertation. A thunder at the foot of a mountain, is [the emblem of] Yi. Honourable men are, accordingly, cautious in conversation, and temperate in food and drink.

Positive I.

You discard your character of a mysterious tortoise, and, looking at me, drop your jaw. Unlucky.

Interpretation. If looking at me, you drop your jaw, you are not entitled to be respected.

Negative II. Is fed by a wrong person.

variance with a normal course of action. hill, and it will be unlucky to advance.

This is at It is fed at a

Interpretation. Negative II is "unlucky to advance," because he loses his proper companions.

Not

Negative III. Violates the [propriety of] feeding. Unlucky, if constant. Do not move for ten years. advantageous in any respect.

Interpretation. "Do not move for ten years"-because the course of action is greatly at variance [with rectitude].

Negative IV. Is fed by a wrong person, but is

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lucky. He looks about like a tiger and his passion is. strong. Free from blame.

Interpretation. [Negative IV] is lucky, though he is fed by a wrong person, because he sheds light (benevolence) from his high position throughout the country. Negative V. Is at variance with a normal course of action. He will be lucky, if he remains constant. He ought not to wade a large river.

Interpretation. [Negative V] will be lucky to remain constant, because he is obedient and obeys Positive VI.

Positive VI. All others are fed by him. Lucky, though dangerous. Advantageous to wade a large river.

Interpretation. "All others are fed by him. Lucky, though dangerous"-that is, there will be a great bliss.

EXAMPLES.

ARBITRATION OF YOKOHAMA GAS
QUESTION.

The Yokohama gas question was produced by me. It was in the fourth of Meiji that I constructed the city gas works. In the eighth. I transfered them to the city, on the condition that I shall get the share of benefit produced by them. In the tenth, I received a sum of the profits in advance from the city magistrate. Condemning the magistrate as doing a conduct ultra vires, in the month of January of the eleventh, the citizens of Yokohama commenced a lawsuit at Yokohama District Court. The difficulties arising from the case made the prudent persons of the district tumble into heavy anxiety.

I, being the fountainhead of the deluge, was also

being troubled by it. Seeing, at last, in the twelveth, that the parties became wearied by the long hostility, I intended to make arbitration between them, before doing which, I divined it, and obtained the change of "Yi (H "into Son (."

"The hexagram of Yi,' the upper complement of which expresses a mountain and the lower a thunder, is unaltered and remains the same, if it be inverted. It is then an emblem of restraining movements to each other. One's being restrained in his own free movements would be a cause of perplexity, which is of course the startingpoint of the struggle. The hexagram taken as a whole is a great 'Ri' as two positive elements enclose negative elements, which is the emblem of anger, or flame as it is called, between the two parties. And there it seems

also from the emblem that in the middle of motive of each party to the case a little partiality has been woven: the plaintiff obstructing the defendant's way, and the defendant, in turn, the plaintiff's.

"I obtained the change in the 'Negative II' which mounts a strong element. It says, 'Negative II is fed by a wrong way. This is at variance with a normal course of action. It is fed at a hill, and it will be unlucky to advance. This means that, in spite of my former success, I shall be condemned by public, and obliged to retire to a hill. As it says 'Unlucky to advance,' it will be all right if I am resting on the hill.”

But I could not wait even for a minute being forced by the conscientious impulse to deliver the whole city from her grievance, for my own interest. I thought that as the Interpretation' says, Negative II is unlucky to advance because he loses his proper companions,'my loss will be merely a loss of my friends. I took heart and

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took some measure towards that end. Fortunately there occurred to be a gentleman of the town, whose scheme coincided with mine, and the interesting case two years

since was submitted to arbitration, which yielded everlasting peace on my dear city, Yokohama.

ELECTRIC LIGHT.

My friends, Messrs. K. Ōkura and M. Yokoyama, one day, said to me, "We are told that the electric light. has come in extensive use in Europe and America recently. A few days ago we tried it and found it to be very convenient and economical. We are going to introduce it in this country. As you have been long engaged in gaslighting, we are come to hear the merits and demerits of the two lights. We hope you will tell me if you have any opinion." I divined and obtained the change of "Fuku ()" into “Yi (

).”

"The hexagram of Yi' is the emblem of a production of a big fire by giving resistance to the electric currents of the thunder. As the currents are resisted by the two positives of the topmost and the lowest, the whole hexagram is become the fire of one 'Great Ri.' Hence no artificial light can exceed the electric one. I have been occupied in lighting gas-jets hitherto and now you are going to introduce the electric lights. The gas-jets will lose their brilliancy shortly, which represents the glory of our daily refinement in civilization."

The friends smiled and said, "You settle anything, whether great or small, all through the 'Eki,' and even

his small matter too. It is a very marvellous way of

determination," and they went away.

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XXVIII. TAIKWA Superabundance of the Great).

Tai-Kwa. The ridge-pole of a roof bends. Advantageous to advance. Auspicious.

Exposition.

Tai-Kwa means the

superabundance of the great. "The ridge-pole of a roof bends "this implies that the base and the top are weak. Strong elements are superabundant but they occupy middle positions. They are humble and willing to go. It is thus advantageous to advance, that is, it is auspicious. Great is the time of Tai-Kwa!

Interpretation. A pond submerging a tree is [the emblem of] Tai-Kwa. Honourable men accordingly take an independent attitude and fear not. They retire from the world but repine not.

Negative 1. Spreads white rushes [and sprinkles oblation wine on them.] Free from blame.

Interpretation. White rushes are taken and oblation wine is sprinkled on them, because a weak element occupies a low position.

Positive II. A dead willow puts out shoots. An old man gets a bride. Advantageous in every

respect.

Interpretation.

[The union of] an old man and

a [young] woman, is an abnormal match.

Positive III. The ridge-pole of a roof bends. Unlucky.

Interpretation. The bending of the ridge-pole of a roof is unlucky, because there is no hope of rescue.

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