It reaches even pigs and fish; it is worth crossing the great stream. Those are the two claims. Sincerity that persuades only the receptive is never really tested — the measure is whether it moves what is dull and resistant. And the crossing is safe here because the hexagram’s hollow centre is itself a boat.

正義曰：「中孚，豚魚吉」者，「中孚」，卦名也。信發於中，謂之中孚。魚者，蟲之幽隱。豚者，獸之微賤。人主內有誠信，則雖微隱之物，信皆及矣。莫不得所而獲吉，故曰「豚魚吉」也。「利涉大川，利貞」者，微隱獲吉，顯者可知。既有誠信，光被萬物，萬物得宜，以斯涉難，何往不通？故曰「利涉大川」。信而不正，凶邪之道，故利在貞也。

有上四德，然後乃孚。　信立而後邦乃化也。柔在內而剛得中，各當其所也。剛得中，則直而正；柔在內，則靜而順；說而以巽，則乖爭不作。如此，則物無巧競，敦實之行著，而篤信發乎其中矣。　魚者，蟲之隱者也。豚者，獸之微賤者也。爭競之道不興，中信之德淳著，則雖微隱之物，信皆及之。　乘木於川舟之虛，則終已無溺也。用中孚以涉難，若乘木舟虛也。　盛之至也。　信發於中，雖過可亮。

正義曰：此就三、四陰柔並在兩體之內，二、五剛德各處一卦之中，及上下二體說而以巽，釋此卦名為「中孚」之義也。柔內剛中，各當其所，說而以巽，乖爭不作，所以信發於內，謂之「中孚」，故曰「柔在內而剛得中，說而巽，孚」也。　正義曰：誠信發於內，則邦國化於外，故曰「乃化邦也」。　正義曰：釋所以得吉，由信及豚魚故也。　正義曰：釋此涉川所以得利，以中信而濟難，若乘虛舟以涉川也。　正義曰：釋中孚所以利貞者，天德剛正而氣序不差，是正而信也。今信不失正，乃得應於天，是中孚之盛故須濟以利貞也。　正義曰：「澤上有風，中孚」者，風行澤上，無所不周，其猶信之被物，無所不至，故曰「澤上有風，中孚」。「君子以議獄緩死」者，中信之世，必非故犯過失為辜，情在可恕，故君子以議其過失之獄，緩舍當死之刑也。

Be settled in yourself: good fortune. Look to any other and you will not rest. Inner truth begins by not being divided, and the Xiang says the will has not yet changed. Before there is anyone to be sincere towards, there is the question of whether you are single-minded at all.

虞猶專也。為信之始，而應在四，得乎專吉者也，志未能變，系心於一，故「有它不燕」也。

正義曰：虞猶專也。燕，安也。初為信始，應在於四，得其專一之吉，故曰「虞吉」。既系心於一，故更有他求，不能與之共相燕安也，故曰「有它不燕」也。　正義曰：「志未變」者，所以得專一之吉，以志未改變，不更親於他也。

The crane calls in the shade and her young answer; I have a good cup, and will share it with you. This is the plainest statement in the Yi of how influence works here. Nothing is seen and nothing is commanded — the call goes out unwitnessed and the answer comes from the heart’s wish. Response, not persuasion.

處內而居重陰之下，而履不失中，不徇於外，任其真者也。立誠篤至，雖在闇昧，物亦應焉，故曰「鳴鶴在陰，其子和之」也。不私權利，唯德是與，誠之至也，故曰我有好爵，與物散之。

正義曰：「鳴鶴在陰，其子和之」者，九二體剛，處於卦內，又在三四重陰之下，而履不失中，是不徇於外，自任其真者也。處於幽昧，而行不失信，則聲聞於外，為同類之所應焉。如鶴之鳴於幽遠，則為其子所和，故曰「鳴鶴在陰，其子和之」也。「我有好爵，吾與爾靡之」者，靡，散也，又無偏應，是不私權利，惟德是與。若我有好爵，吾原與爾賢者分散而共之，故曰「我有好爵，吾與爾靡之。」　正義曰：「中心願」者，誠信之人，願與同類相應，得誠信而應之，是中心願也。

Having met his match: now drumming, now stopping, now weeping, now singing. This line has found something outside itself to depend on, and lost its own centre in the process. The Xiang blames the position. The oscillation is the symptom — a truth that is genuinely inside you does not swing with what the other party does.

三居少陰之上，四居長陰之下，對而不相比，敵之謂也。以陰居陽，欲進者也。欲進而閡敵，故或鼓也。四履正而承五，非己所克，故或罷也。不勝而退，懼見侵陵，故或泣而憂悲也。四履於順。不與物校，退而不見害，故或歌也。不量其力，進退無恒，憊可知也。

正義曰：六三與四，俱是陰爻，相與為類。然三居少陰之桑四居長陰之下，各自有應對，而不相比，敵之謂也。故曰「得敵欲進」。礙四，恐其害己，故或鼓而攻之，而四履正承尊，非己所勝，故或罷而退敗也。不勝而退，懼見侵陵，故或泣而憂悲也。四履於順，不與物校，退不見害，故或歌而歡樂也，故曰「或鼓或罷，或泣或歌」也。　正義曰：「位不當」者，所以或鼓或罷，進退無恒者，止為不當其位，妄進故也。

The moon nearly full; the horse’s yoke-mate gone. Nearly full, not full — the line stops short of completion deliberately. And it leaves its partner, cutting the tie sideways in order to align upwards. Giving up a pairing you were comfortable in is exactly what leaves this line free of error.

居中孚之時，處巽之始，應說之初，居正履順，以承於五，內毗無首，外宣德化者也。充乎陰德之盛，故曰：「月幾望」。「馬匹亡」者，棄群類也。若夫居盛德之位，而與物校其競爭，則失其所盛矣，故曰絕類而上，履正承尊，不與三爭，乃得無咎也。　類謂三，俱陰爻，故曰「類」也。

正義曰：「月幾望」者，六四居中孚之時，處巽應說，得位履順，上承於五，內毗无首，外宣德化，充乎陰德之盛，如月之近望，故曰「月幾望」也。「馬匹亡，無咎」者，三與己敵，進來攻己，己若與三校戰，則失其所盛，故棄三之類，如馬之亡匹；上承其五，不與三爭，乃得無咎，故曰「馬匹亡，無咎」也。　正義曰：「絕類上」者，絕三之類，不與三爭，而上承於五也。

Sincerity that binds, holding others in union. This is the ruling line: it argues no one into anything, it simply holds, and things are linked to it. The Xiang says the position is exactly right. Where line 3 swung with its partner, this line is the thing others hold on to.

「攣如」者，系其信之辭也。處中誠以相交之時，居尊位以為群物之主，信何可舍？故「有孚攣如」，乃得「無咎」也。

正義曰：「有孚攣如，無咎」者，攣如者，相牽系不絕之名也。五在信時，處於尊位，為群物之主，恒須以中誠交物，孚信何可暫舍，故曰「有孚攣如」。系信不絕，乃得無咎，故曰「有孚攣如，無咎」也。　正義曰：「位正當」者，以其正當尊位，故戒以系信，乃得無咎。若真以陽得正位，而無有系信，則招有咎之嫌也。

The sound of the bird climbing to heaven — the cry going up where the bird itself cannot follow. This is inner truth become nothing but noise, reputation outrunning substance. The Xiang asks how it could possibly last. Even correctness does not save this line, because there is nothing left at the centre to be correct about.

翰，高飛也。飛音者，音飛而實不從之謂也。居卦之上，處信之終，信終則衰，忠篤內喪，華美外揚，故曰「翰音登於天」也。翰音登天，正亦滅矣。

正義曰：翰，高飛也。飛音者，音飛而實不從之謂也。上九處信之終信終則衰也。信衰則詐起，而忠篤內喪，華美外揚，若鳥於翰音登於天，虛聲遠聞也，故曰「翰音登於天」。虛聲無實，正之凶也，故曰「貞凶」。　正義曰：「何可長也」者，虛聲無實，何可久長。