比 · 亲
Judgement
吉。原筮，元永贞，无咎。不宁方来，后夫凶。
Good fortune. Cast again: sublime, enduring steadfastness, no blame. Those who were restless come; he who comes last is ill.
The Image
地上有水，比。先王以建万国，亲诸侯。
Water on the earth: holding together. The early kings founded the states and kept friendly with the princes.
The Lines
有孚比之，无咎；有孚盈缶，终来有它，吉。
Sincerity held together: no blame. Sincerity fills the earthenware; others come in the end — good fortune.
比之初六，有它吉也。
The first line of Holding Together: good fortune comes from elsewhere.
比之自内，贞吉。
Holding together from within. Steadfastness is auspicious.
“比之自内”，不自失也。
Holding together from within: he does not lose himself.
比之匪人。
Holding together with the wrong people.
“比之匪人”，不亦伤乎！
Holding together with the wrong people — is that not a wound?
外比之，贞吉。
Holding together outwardly. Steadfastness is auspicious.
“外比”于贤，以从上也。
Holding together outwardly: he follows the worthy, and above.
显比；王用三驱，失前禽。邑人不诫，吉。
Open holding together. The king uses three drives, losing the front birds. The townsmen need no warning — good fortune.
“显比”之吉，位正中也。舍逆取顺，“失前禽”也。“邑人不诫”，上使中也。
The good fortune of open holding together: the place is central and right. Let the frontward go, keep the obedient; the townsmen need no warning — the one above uses them well.
比之无首，凶。
Holding together with no head. Ill.
“比之无首”，无所终也。
Holding together with no head: no ending.
Reading
水漫过大地，寻遍每一处低洼。亲比是自然发生的；卦辞在意的是发生的时机。早入其中、由内而归，不要晚、不要从外——晚到已成之圈的人，正是卦辞所警的那类。