The lines of hexagram 55

  Judgment: for the Yi-sacrifice see Marshall's excellent book 'The Mandate of Heaven' (page 'books'): "In the Feng-ceremony King Wu requested blessings from heaven".
"Serve" see here
  Line 1. 'Affined' or: one's equal lord, related, kindred, congenial, allied. 'Ten days" was the usual period for a divination: for the coming ten-day week.
  Line 2. Fa is the personal name of King Wu (see Marshall).
  Line 3. There is an entry in a history-record about an eclipse and the king breaking his right arm and several other things, but no big calamities like floods or eclipses. I don't remember where I saw it, I think in Shaughnessy, but couldn't find it back. It makes the fear relative, and maybe that is what the line's advice is.
See below about eclipses.
  Line 4. 'Barbarian lord', Lord of Yi, border lord or a lord who is one's equal. This line changes to hex.36, which has the same character Yi in its name! This lord Yi was a war-lord, it was important to have him as an ally (see Marshall). Everyone who was not from one's own people was "yi".
  Line 5. 'Composition' or rules, clarity, a badge, pattern. According to Rutt it is a jade baton, an emblem of distinction.
  Line 6. 'See' is get audience, see face to face.

  Update about the eclipse: often there is dust which obscures the daylight, and it is possible to see the sunspots. Their pattern, here the Big Dipper, has a meaning. No eclipse here. See the review of Marshall's book by Pankenier. I still like that book a lot, even though some things might be different.

More about hexagrams 55 and 56
Back to hex.55
Back to the story of hex.55