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Hexagram 12 — Xiao Guo, Preponderance of the Small
Chronological no. 12 (binary-weight order) · King Wen no. (traditional) 62 · 小過
By Anibal Edelberto Amiot — Updated October 1, 2026
the eldest son
the youngest son
On the mountain, Thunder: the image of the small in excess. Movement stirs at the summit, contained by the mass that bears it, forced to remain modest in scope though intense in energy. Thus the noble one, in his conduct, leans toward an excess of respect; in mourning, toward an excess of grief; in his spending, toward an excess of thrift: when circumstances demand restraint, it is better to err on the side of modesty than of ambition.
The small line overflows its frame. There are moments when only the detail, the measured gesture, can still act — wanting grand action then would be a misjudgment. This line says rightness, in certain circumstances, is found precisely in accepted smallness.
The six lines
At the base of the earth, emptiness closes over: what was still an opening begins to fill.
The receptive earth reaches its fullness: the silent welcome that carried the lower figure is about to assert itself.
At the threshold between earth and man, force wavers: what acted through firmness hesitates before turning.
In the action of man, fullness meets its limit: the initiative that led the figure folds back upon itself.
At the sage's seat, emptiness fills: the suppleness that governed with discretion gathers a new force.
At the summit, emptiness reaches its fullest extent and closes: the furthest opening turns toward its opposite.
Source: La Livrée d'Hermès, Anibal Amiot — chapter 7.1 (pp. 63–68). French version of this page.
For the notions used here — magic square, layer and casting, the Yi Jing — see the project lexicon.
The patterns of this hexagram
Eight 12×12 Jacquard patterns are generated from this hexagram, one for each admissible family of the system. Each has its own page: cell, tiling, recolourings and data.
Bases — YANG mutant
Bases — YANG
Pair of two — YANG + YIN mutant
Pair of two — YIN mutant + YANG mutant
Pair of two — YIN + YANG
Pair of two — YIN + YANG mutant
Triple — without YANG
Triple — without YANG mutant
Neighbouring hexagrams
11 — Gui Mei, The Marrying Maiden · 13 — Feng, Abundance
Hexagrams sharing a trigram
Same upper trigram (☳ Zhen): 8 — Yu, Enthusiasm · 9 — Zhen, The Arousing · 10 — Jie, Deliverance · 11 — Gui Mei, The Marrying Maiden · 13 — Feng, Abundance · 14 — Heng, Duration · 15 — Da Zhuang, The Power of the Great
Same lower trigram (☶ Gen): 4 — Qian, Modesty · 20 — Jian, Obstruction · 28 — Xian, Influence · 36 — Gen, Keeping Still · 44 — Lu, The Wanderer · 52 — Jian, Development · 60 — Dun, Retreat
