Hexagram 62 · Line 2
Small Exceeding — 二六
Xiao Guo · Er Liu
The Line
She passes by her ancestor and meets the ancestress. He does not reach his prince and meets the official. No blame.
Interpretation
Two exceptional cases are named here: In the ancestral temple, where the generations alternate, the grandson stands on the same side as the grandfather; therefore he has the closest relations to him. Here is depicted the wife of the grandson, who at the sacrifice passes by the grandfather and turns to the grandmother. This extraordinary conduct is, however, an expression of her modesty. She more readily dares to step before the grandmother, to whom she feels herself related by her sex; therefore this deviation from the rule is no mistake. Another image is that of the official who first, in an orderly way, seeks audience with his prince. When, however, he does not meet him, he does not try to force anything by violence, but finds his way in conscientious fulfillment of duty, in that he fits himself into the number of officials. This extraordinary reserve is also, in exceptional times, no fault. (As a rule, every official first has an audience with his prince, by whom he is appointed. Here the appointment proceeds from the minister.)