The Creative

潛龍勿用。

A dragon remains hidden. Do not act.

The hidden dragon has capacity before it has a suitable field of action. The restraint belongs to this stage of the image, not to a permanent judgment of ability. Changing the bottom line produces Hexagram 44.

見龍在田，利見大人。

A dragon appears in the field. Meeting a great person is beneficial.

At the second place, the dragon is visible in the field but remains below the ruling position. Changing Line 2 to yielding produces Hexagram 13, with this as its only broken line.

君子終日乾乾，夕惕若厲，无咎。

The exemplary person stays vigorously engaged through the day and watchful at night, as if danger were near. No fault.

The movement from daytime effort to evening vigilance joins energy with attention to its risks. No fault accompanies that care; the passage still names danger. Line 3 ends the inner trigram, and its change produces Hexagram 10.

或躍在淵，无咎。

The dragon may leap from the depths. No fault.

The possibility of a leap remains unresolved. The issue is whether to advance or remain in the depths as circumstances allow, rather than to force ascent because the line is higher. Changing this first line of the outer trigram produces Hexagram 9.

飛龍在天，利見大人。

A dragon flies in heaven. Meeting a great person is beneficial.

The flying dragon stands at the centered fifth place. Its change makes Hexagram 14, where a yielding ruler is surrounded by five firm lines.

亢龍有悔。

A dragon at excessive height: regret.

The dragon has gone beyond a workable height and lost the ability to come down. This is an image of strength carried past its occasion: more effort can deepen the excess. Changing the top line produces Hexagram 43.