Translated from Richard Wilhelm's German (1924)
The Judgment
The power of the great. Persistence is favorable.
The Image
Thunder is high in the heavens:
the image of the power that belongs to the great.
So the noble one does not set foot on paths
that are not in keeping with order.
First line, nine
Power in the toes.
Pressing on brings misfortune.
That is certainly true.
Second line, nine
Persistence brings good fortune.
Third line, nine
The petty person acts through power; the noble one does not.
Pressing on is dangerous.
A billy goat butts up against a hedge
and entangles its horns.
Fourth line, nine
Persistence brings good fortune.
Regret vanishes.
The hedge opens up; there is no entanglement.
The power rests on the axle of a large wagon.
Fifth line, six
Loses the billy goat with ease.
No regret.
Top line, six
A billy goat butts up against a hedge.
It can go neither back nor forward.
Nothing is favorable.
If one notices the difficulty, that brings good fortune.