用晦而明，蒞眾之道
先看圖像，再讀文字。Read the image before the words.
明入地中，明夷
(The trigram representing) the earth and that for the bright (sun) entering within it form Ming Yi.
君子以蒞眾，用晦而明。
The superior man, in accordance with this, conducts his management of men; he shows his intelligence by keeping it obscured.
明入地中，是明夷之象。君子由此體會：面對眾人之時，要以晦藏其明，不顯耀自己的才能，反而看得更清楚。
(The trigram representing) the earth and that for the bright (sun) entering within it form Ming Yi. The superior man, in accordance with this, conducts his management of men; he shows his intelligence by keeping it obscured.
先讀經文，再讀《彖傳》如何解釋卦辭。The received text, then the Tuan commentary on it.
明夷：利艱貞。
明夷卦，利於艱難中守正。光明被掩之時，當以艱忍守德。
Ming Yi indicates that (in the circumstances which it denotes) it will be advantageous to realise the difficulty (of the position), and maintain firm correctness.
明入地中，明夷。內文明而外柔順，以蒙大難，文王以之。利艱貞，晦其明也，內難而能正其志，箕子以之。
明（離）入地（坤）中，是明夷之象。內有文明（離）而外柔順（坤），蒙受大難，文王便是這樣處世。「利艱貞」是說隱晦自己的明、在艱難中仍能端正心志，箕子便是這樣處世。
(The symbol of) the Earth and (that of) Brightness entering into the midst of it form Ming Yi. (The inner trigram has the attribute of) accomplished and the outer that of submission. (King) Wen acted thus when overshadowed by the great calamity. The Viscount of Ji acted similarly.
六條線各有一句判斷。閱讀次序初→上；卦象由下而上，看左側的卦。One statement per line, read from the first line to the top. The figure is drawn bottom-up — watch the rail.
明夷于飛，垂其翼。君子于行，三日不食。有攸往，主人有言。
光明被傷時的飛鳥，垂下翅膀。君子上路三日不食，如往他處，主人會有怨言。處明夷之初，宜立刻離開。
The first NINE shows its subject, in the time of Ming Yi, flying, but with drooping wings. When the superior man is revolving his going away, he may be for three days without eating. Wherever he goes, the people there may speak (derisively of him).
君子于行，義不食也。
君子在路上不食，是行其義。
明夷，夷于左股，用拯馬壯，吉。
傷於左大腿，用強健之馬拯救，吉。雖傷未重，仍要及時自救。
The second SIX shows its subject in the time of Ming Yi wounded in the left thigh. He saves himself by the strength of a (swift) horse; and is fortunate.
六二之吉，順以則也。
六二之吉，是順從而合度。
明夷于南狩，得其大首，不可疾貞。
於南方狩獵，獲其首惡，但不可急於糾正，征伐凶徒須有耐心。
The third NINE shows its subject, in the time of Ming Yi, hunting in the south, and taking the great chief (of the darkness). He should not be eager to make (all) correct (at once).
南狩之志，乃大得也。
南狩之志，是大有所得。
入于左腹，獲明夷之心，于出門庭。
深入左腹，也就是暗處，獲悉明夷之心，明察了當權者之意，於是走出家門離開。識破而退。
The fourth SIX shows us how its subject (can be) entering into the left side of the belly (of the dark land), and (yet be able to) carry out the mind appropriate (in the condition denoted by) Ming Yi, quitting the gate and courtyard (of the lord of darkness).
入于左腹，獲心意也。
入左腹，是獲悉其心意。
箕子之明夷，利貞。
箕子處明夷之道，利於守正。商紂之時，箕子佯狂以避禍而存志。
The fifth SIX shows how the Viscount of Ji fulfilled the conditions of the time of Ming Yi. It will be advantageous to be firm and correct.
箕子之貞，明不可息也。
箕子之守正，是其明不可熄。
不明，晦。初登于天，後入于地。
不明而黑暗，起初登於天上，最終墮入地中。掩人之明者終將自掩，是明夷之極。
The topmost SIX shows the case where there is no light, but only obscurity. (Its subject) had at first ascended to (the top of) the sky; his future shall be to go into the earth.
初登于天，照四國也。後入于地，失則也。
起初登於天，本可照四國。最終入於地，是失了道。
把象套到你的情境，取一個可行的下一步。Apply the image to your situation; take one practical step.
晦·艱貞·用晦而明
Darkness · firm in adversity · hidden brightness
明夷卦教人怎麼過暗世。核心在「用晦而明」與文王、箕子的處世之道：不顯耀自己的明，內裡保持清醒，外表柔順以避害。最忌像初九反例那樣不知及早離開。六五「箕子之貞」是全卦的高點，佯狂存志。
Ming Yi teaches how to get through dark times. The core is 'hidden brightness' and the way of King Wen and the Viscount of Ji: don't display your light, keep clarity within and compliance without to avoid harm. The worst case is line 1's failure to leave early. The high point is line 5, 'feigning madness while keeping your resolve intact.'
上六「初登于天，後入于地」，對今天走極端的領導者是很深的警戒：曾經登天的人守不住，最終必墜入地。讀此爻是提醒自己，不要成為這樣的人。
Line 6, 'first to heaven, then to earth,' is a deep warning for leaders who go to extremes today: those who once rose but couldn't hold it eventually fall back to earth. Read this line as a reminder not to become that person.
王弼以為明夷卦的核心在「文王、箕子之道」，處明夷之時，外順內明，以艱忍守正。卦辭「利艱貞」是全卦的根本，艱難之中守正，是君子處暗世的姿態。
Wang Bi holds that the heart of Ming Yi is 'the way of King Wen and the Viscount of Ji': in a time of darkened light, compliant without and bright within, holding to correctness through patient hardship. The Judgment's 'advantageous to be correct amid difficulty' is the root of the whole hexagram; keeping upright in hard times is the superior man's posture in a dark age.
程子強調大象「用晦而明」，蒞臨眾人時要藏起自己的明。他認為這是很高明的處世之道：明察卻不顯耀，才能看得長久。
Cheng Yi stresses the Da Xiang's 'using obscurity, yet bright': when presiding over the many, conceal your own brightness. He takes this as a mark of real skill in the world: seeing clearly without showing it off is what lets that clarity last.
朱子直言：明夷者，明被傷也。卦象明（離）入地（坤）中，是日落之象。處此時宜內明而外柔順，如文王箕子之為。學者觀此知：暗世之道全在能藏。
Zhu Xi puts it plainly: Ming Yi means brightness wounded. The image is brightness (Li) entering into the earth (Kun): the sun going down. At such a time, be bright within and pliant without, as King Wen and the Viscount of Ji were. The student learns from this that the whole way of a dark age lies in the ability to conceal.
明夷是明入地中，日落之象，講暗世怎麼過。要領在大象「用晦而明」：蒞臨眾人時把自己的明收起來，看得反而清。卦裡立了兩個榜樣，文王被囚羑里，照樣演他的易；箕子佯狂避紂，志卻沒丟。可見暗世之道全在能藏，藏不等於滅。爻位上，六二「用拯馬壯」說受了傷要及時自救，別硬撐；六五「箕子之明夷」是佯狂存志的正格。反面在上六「初登于天，後入于地」：先亮後暗，掩人之明的人自己也墮進黑裡，歷代都讀作紂王。
Ming Yi is brightness entering the earth, the sun going down, and it teaches how to get through a dark age. The key is the Da Xiang's 'using obscurity, yet bright': when you stand before the crowd, tuck your brightness away, and you actually see more clearly. The hexagram sets up two models: King Wen, imprisoned at Youli, went on working out his Yi all the same; the Viscount of Ji feigned madness to escape the tyrant Zhou, but never let go of his resolve. So the whole way of a dark age lies in being able to hide, and hiding is not the same as going out. Among the lines, line 2's 'rescue with a strong horse' says that when wounded you save yourself at once, no gritting through it; line 5, 'the Viscount of Ji's darkened light,' is the classic form: feigned madness, will intact. The counter-image is line 6, 'first rising to heaven, then entering the earth': bright first, dark after, and the one who smothers others' light falls into the dark himself. Every age has read this line as King Zhou.
光明受傷、被掩蓋。卦名取太陽落入地中之象，喻賢者身處黑暗時世。
Brightness wounded, the light obscured.
傷、損傷，也有削平、剷平的意思。這裡指光明受到傷害。
To wound; also to level, flatten.
臨、面對眾人，指治理、統御的場合。
To preside over, come before (the many).
昏暗、隱藏不露。這裡是刻意收斂鋒芒，不是真的愚昧。
Obscurity, darkness: here, deliberately assumed.
拯救、解救。六二「用拯馬壯」是說靠強健的馬及時脫險。
To rescue, save.
打獵，這裡引申為征伐、討伐。
To hunt.
腹部，比喻內裡、核心之處。「入于左腹」是說深入到隱密的核心。
The belly: a figure for the inside, the interior.
箕子，商紂王的叔父，因勸諫不成而佯裝瘋狂，藉此保全性命與心志。
The Viscount of Ji, uncle of the Shang tyrant King Zhou, who feigned madness to escape harm.
第三十五卦晉與第三十六卦明夷為一對綜卦。晉是明出地上，明夷是明入地中，日出日入本是常態。對照讀這兩卦可知：能晉就會有明夷，要學的是這兩種狀態的處世之道。
Hexagram 35 Jin and Hexagram 36 Ming Yi form an inverse pair. Jin is brightness coming out above the earth; Ming Yi is brightness entering into it: sunrise and sunset are the norm. Read the two against each other, and it follows that whoever can rise will also meet the darkening; what must be learned is the way of both states.
彖傳明確點出文王（被囚仍著書）與箕子（佯狂存志）為明夷之雙範。後世中國讀書人身處暗世時，常以這兩人自勉。
The Tuan explicitly names King Wen (writing on even in captivity) and the Viscount of Ji (feigning madness while preserving his resolve) as the twin paragons of Ming Yi. Chinese scholars in later ages often looked to these two as models whenever the times turned dark.
大象「君子以蒞眾，用晦而明」，是政治哲學裡精妙的一句話。明察的人不必顯耀自己的明，反而藉「晦」看得更清楚。後世「大智若愚」的說法，也與此相應。
The Da Xiang's 'the superior man presides over the many using obscurity, yet bright' is one of the subtler sayings in political philosophy: the discerning need not parade their discernment, and in fact see more clearly by means of obscurity. The later saying 'great wisdom looks like folly' answers to it.
上六這一爻，歷代都解為紂王之象，本可照耀四方，最終卻墮入地中，是中國政治哲學裡對「掩明者自掩」的經典描述。
Line 6 has been read in every age as the image of King Zhou the tyrant: one who could have illuminated the four quarters, and fell instead into the earth. It stands as the classic statement in Chinese political philosophy that whoever smothers the light ends by smothering himself.
「用晦而明」之意？為何是政治智慧？
What does 用晦而明 (yong hui er ming) mean? Why is it political wisdom?
為何文王、箕子是明夷卦的雙範？
Why are King Wen and Viscount of Ji the dual paragons?
用六五「箕子之明夷」評論一個你見過在惡劣環境中佯庸存志的人。
Use line 5 to comment on someone you've seen feign ordinariness to preserve their truth.