Also known as Preponderance of the Small, Small Exceeding, Small Excess.
The characters 小過 mean the small going a little too far. Hexagram 62 is about a time when big ambitions don't fit, and the right move is modest, careful and a little more humble than usual. Like a bird, you're safer staying low than flying high.
The figure
Thunder over Mountain. Thunder on the mountain sounds closer and louder than thunder on the plain. The two strong lines sit at the centre, surrounded by weak lines on both sides, like a bird's body with its wings spread. It is its own reverse: turned upside down, it stays the same.
The judgment
It goes through and it pays to hold. Small things, not large ones. The bird flying past leaves its call behind: better to come down than to go up.
This is a season for small things done well. Don't reach too high.
The image
Thunder on the mountaintop, loud in a small place. Lean too far toward respect, too far toward grief, too far toward spending little.
A slight excess in modesty is safe. A slight excess in ambition isn't.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. The bird flies too soon and meets trouble.
- Line 2. You pass by the ancestor and meet the grandmother; you don't reach the ruler but meet the official. Settling for the proper, modest contact is no mistake.
- Line 3. Without extra care, someone may come up from behind and hurt you. Watch out.
- Line 4. Not a mistake. You meet what comes without going past it. Don't push ahead; stay steady and on guard.
- Line 5. Thick clouds, but no rain yet from the west. You go after what's hidden and bring it out. Reach for help in the right place.
- Line 6, at the top. You pass it by without meeting it. The bird flies too far and is lost. Overreaching ends badly.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 62 says keep it small and careful. Do the modest, proper thing, and do it thoroughly. Hold back on big moves for now; staying low keeps you safe.