Ting / The Caldron

above:Li The Clinging, Flame
below:Sun The Gentle, Wind

The first [six], divided, shows the caldron overthrown and its feet turned up. (But) there will be advantage in its getting rid of what what was bad in it. (Or it shows us) the concubine (whose position is improved) by means of her son. There will be no error.

Line 1 is weak, and little or nothing can be expected of its subject. But it has a proper correlate in the strong 4; and the disastrous overthrow, causing the feet to be directed towards 4, is understood to be lucky, as accelerating the cooperation of their two lines! The overturned caldron is thereby emptied of bad stuff that had accumulated in it! The writer uses another illustration which comes to the same thing. A concubine is less honorable than a wife; - like the overthrown caldron. But if she have a son, while the proper wife has none, he will be his father's heir, and the mother, the concubine, will share in the honor of his position. Thus the issue of what was so unpromising is good. At least 'there is no mistake'. The above is what is found in the best commentaries on the paragraph. I give it, but am myself dissatisfied with it.