Hexagram 41 · 第 41 卦

損

Sun · Decrease (Mountain over Lake)

懲忿窒欲，損下益上

上卦upper 艮 ☶ · 山 / Mountain下卦lower 兌 ☱ · 澤 / Lake
錯卦把每一爻都翻轉（陽↔陰）後得到的另一卦。The inverse-line hexagram: every line flipped.Opposite
第 31 卦 咸
綜卦把整個卦上下顛倒後得到的另一卦。The reversed hexagram: flipped top-to-bottom.Inverse
第 42 卦 益
互卦由原卦二、三、四爻 + 三、四、五爻組成的中間卦。The nuclear hexagram: built from lines 2-3-4 and 3-4-5 of the original.Nuclear
第 24 卦 復

卦辭與彖傳

Judgment and its commentary

先讀經文，再讀《彖傳》如何解釋卦辭。Read the received text first, then its Tuan commentary.

經
卦辭對整個卦（六條線為一組）的總體判斷。The judgment on the hexagram as a whole.
Judgment

損：有孚，元吉，無咎，可貞，利有攸往。曷之用？二簋可用享。

損卦——有誠信則大吉，無咎，可以守正，利有所往。減損之物如何用？兩個簋（祭器）就足以祭祀。誠意比形式重要。

In what is denoted by Sun, if there be sincerity (in him who employs it), there will be great good fortune; freedom from error; firmness and correctness may be maintained, and there will be advantage in every movement that shall be made. In what shall this (sincerity in the exercise of Sun) be employed? (Even) in sacrifice two baskets of grain, (though there be nothing else,) may be presented.

James Legge · 1899
傳
彖傳十翼之一，直接解釋卦名、卦辭及其剛柔結構。Tuan Zhuan — commentary explaining the name, Judgment, and line structure.
Commentary on the Judgment

損，損下益上，其道上行。損而有孚，元吉，無咎，可貞，利有攸往。曷之用？二簋可用享。二簋應有時，損剛益柔有時，損益盈虛，與時偕行。

損之為道，是減損下方增益上方，其道向上行。減損若有誠信，則大吉、無咎、可貞、利往。如何用？兩簋之祭已足，但「二簋」也要看時機；損剛益柔也有時機；損益盈虛，與時並行。

In Sun the lower (trigram) is diminished, and the upper added to. Diminution combined with sincerity leads to great fortune. The diminishing of the strong and the increasing of the weak each take place at the proper time. Diminution and increase, fullness and emptiness — all proceed with the time.

James Legge · 1899

大象傳《大象傳》從上下卦的自然圖像推演全卦之象，再提出人事取法。它不是《彖傳》的續文。The Great Image derives conduct from the two trigrams' natural images; it is not a continuation of the Tuan.

Great Image Commentary

上下卦取象 → 全卦成象 → 人事取法Trigrams → whole image → conduct

上下卦Trigrams
☶艮 · 山Upper · Mountain
☱兌 · 澤Lower · Lake
全卦成象Whole image

山下有澤，損

(The trigram representing) a mountain and beneath it that of a lake form Sun.

人事取法Conduct

君子以懲忿窒欲。

The superior man, in accordance with this, restrains his wrath and represses his desires.

山下有澤——損之象。君子由此體會：懲止憤怒，堵塞慾望（這是內在的損）。

James Legge · 1899
六爻意象導覽Six-line image guide
由六爻爻辭整理 · 點選可跳至原文 · Editorial guide · select a stage to read the line

本站導讀，不屬《大象傳》原文；用來預覽本卦六爻由初至上的意象變化。An editorial preview of the six line images, not part of the Great Image Commentary.

中性位neutral主爻 · 青灰ruling line過盈之爻 · 朱砂overshot
爻辭針對單獨一條線的判斷，每卦有六條。閱讀次序：初爻 → 上爻。卦象本身則由下而上排列。Line statements — one per line, six per hexagram. Reading order is 初 → 上 (top to bottom on the page). The hexagram itself is drawn bottom-up — see the rail.
Line statements · 初 → 上 · reading order
小象十翼之一。對每一條爻辭的古典短註，列於該爻之下。Xiao Xiang — short commentary on each line. inline beneath each line
初九
Line 1 · 第 1 爻 · yang陽

已事遄往，無咎，酌損之。

停下自己的事務迅速前往（援助上）——無咎，但要斟酌減損的程度。

The first NINE shows its subject suspending his own affairs, and hurrying away (to help the subject of the fourth line). He will commit no error, but let him consider how far he should contribute of what is his (to the other).

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註，列於該爻之下。Xiao Xiang — short commentary on this line. · Image on the line

已事遄往，尚合志也。

已事遄往，是與上位志同。

九二
Line 2 · 第 2 爻 · yang陽

利貞，征凶，弗損益之。

利於守正，前進則凶；不要強行減損他人來益自己。

The second NINE shows that it will be advantageous for its subject to maintain a firm correctness, and that action on his part will be evil. He can give increase (to his correlate) without taking from himself.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註，列於該爻之下。Xiao Xiang — short commentary on this line. · Image on the line

九二利貞，中以為志也。

九二利貞，是以中位為志。

六三
Line 3 · 第 3 爻 · yin陰

三人行，則損一人；一人行，則得其友。

三人同行則必減損一人（多則必有不合）；一人獨行則會找到朋友（少則易得相應）。損益的辯證。

The third SIX shows how of three men walking together, the number is diminished by one; and how one man, walking, finds his friend.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註，列於該爻之下。Xiao Xiang — short commentary on this line. · Image on the line

一人行，三則疑也。

一人行可得友，三人行則生疑。

六四
Line 4 · 第 4 爻 · yin陰

損其疾，使遄有喜，無咎。

減損自己的疾病（毛病、缺點）——使對方迅速得喜，無咎。

The fourth SIX shows its subject diminishing the ailment under which he labours by making the subject of the first line hasten (to his help). There will be joy, and no error.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註，列於該爻之下。Xiao Xiang — short commentary on this line. · Image on the line

損其疾，亦可喜也。

減損疾患，也是喜事。

六五
Line 5 · 第 5 爻 · yin陰

或益之十朋之龜，弗克違，元吉。

有人贈送價值十朋的龜（極珍貴的禮物）——無法拒絕，大吉。柔居尊位而能順受。

The fifth SIX shows parties adding to (the stores of) its subject ten pairs of tortoise shells, and accepting no refusal. There will be great good fortune.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註，列於該爻之下。Xiao Xiang — short commentary on this line. · Image on the line

六五元吉，自上祐也。

六五大吉，是來自天的庇佑。

上九
Line 6 · 第 6 爻 · yang陽

弗損益之，無咎，貞吉，利有攸往，得臣無家。

不減損反而增益——無咎，守正則吉，利有所往，得到天下臣民而忘卻自家私利。

The topmost NINE shows its subject giving increase to others without taking from himself. There will be no error; with firm correctness there will be good fortune. There will be advantage in every movement that shall be made; he will find ministers more than can be confined to their own families.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註，列於該爻之下。Xiao Xiang — short commentary on this line. · Image on the line

弗損益之，大得志也。

不減損而能益他人，是大得其志。

損sǔn

To decrease, pare down, moderate. Not simple loss — trimming the surplus to serve the essential.

孚fú

Sincerity, good faith — the condition that makes decrease auspicious rather than mere loss.

曷hé

'How? By what means?' — the rhetorical question introducing the two-vessel answer.

簋guǐ

Ancient ritual food vessel. Two of them suffice for sacrifice — sincerity over spectacle.

遄chuán

Swiftly, without delay.

酌zhuó

To weigh, measure out — give in due proportion, not to depletion.

朋péng

Ancient unit of cowrie currency (one peng = ten shells). 'Ten peng' marks an extraordinarily precious gift.

懲忿chéng fèn

To curb anger — the first of the two inner decreases.

窒欲zhì yù

To dam desire — the second inner decrease; blocking craving at its channel.