Hexagram 15

Qiān

Give and take

Team-words, expansion
A noble one brings to completion

The great image says:
In the center of the earth is a mountain: team-words. The noble one reduces the many and augments the few. He evaluates things and bestows equalizing.

Earth
Mountain

day 13 of a yang moon

   It is an art, expressing oneself and at the same time not offending the other in any way. Giving him his honor, respecting his views, giving him the room to express himself as well.
   Unity means also to stay free of black-white thinking. When something is true, it should mean it is life sustaining, but anything “true” which excludes something else being true, is a sign you are talking of very temporal, short living truths. This is not scientific? Just take a good look at science.
   Substituting ‘words’ (part 1 of the character) for ‘bird’ gives Jian1, a mythical bird with one wing and one eye. Two of them could fly: the perfect cooperation.
   Who has the gift of qian can fly to higher places than he would ever be able to reach on his own. Even more so in the realm of “truth”.

QIAN: At right a hand (3) holding two (or many) stalks of grain (2) or maybe arrows, meaning ‘unite, concurrently, simultaneously', and at left words (1): to speak in such a way that speaker and listener come together. In the WangJiaTai there is only the right part, no 'words', so maybe that is the original form.
Or: gather (in hand) then conceal. With words: words of a reserved, refraining nature, that conceal one's true intent.
QIAN¹: Deference, appropriate demeanor, Modest, humble, retiring, self-effacing. It is not what usually is understood as humility, the self-denial, but it is a way of acting towards others.

More about 15 and 16

9 at 3: Laboring give-and-take. A noble one brings to completion. Auspicious. Do what you do, as good as you are. You don't have to strive for results or recognition. Just doing and being what you can does the job, it will attract results and people. Being what you are matters more than showing what you are. (Changes to hex.2)		Above 6: Expressing give-and-take. Harvest: benefit of moving legions to march against cities or countries. Who can share his compassion with others, and has insight in the common good and the right time, can lead people to move mountains. When people see your heart and feel your spirit is reliable, then they will support you in all your ventures. (Changes to hex.52)
6 at 2: Expressing give-and-take. Determination auspicious. The best way to work together is to express oneself in a true way, free from any false notes like pride, false sentimentality, hypocrisy. True to one's own nature. Everybody will listen to inner value without pretensions. If you need a partner, search for one like this. (Changes to hex.46)		6 at 5: Not rich through one's neighbor. Harvest: benefit of cleaning stables and chopping wood. There will be harvest. Do not stay a proud person and die by starvation. Get what you need, even if it means taking up lowly jobs, forgetting your principles or losing your macho. A healthy dog is better than a dead superman. Who says supermen are so great anyway? (Changes to hex.39)
Initial 6 : A noble one with very compatible give-and-take. Benefit of crossing the great river. Auspicious Words are stronger than weapons if one seeks freedom and peace. Granting everyone his own life and honor means one's own life and honor will not be attacked. And the best remedy against war? – trading and exchanging goods and sports. (Changes to hex.36)		6 at 4: There will be harvest when moving with give-and-take. Do what you have to do, without any pretension and without having yourself in your mind, as if everything gets fixed by itself. This is essential social thinking. Not following social rules, but following the inborn social touch. (Changes to hex.62)
The Sabian Symbols for the hexagram-lines
9 at 3 corresponds to b 13: An old sea captain rocking Still doing what he always did.		Above 6 corresponds to h 13: A barometer
6 at 2 corresponds to ` 13: A great musician at his piano		6 at 5 corresponds to f 13: A widow's past brought to light
Initial 6 corresponds to ^ 13: An unsuccessful bomb explosion Are there any successful ones?		6 at 4 corresponds to d 13: Children blowing soap bubbles Creating beauty together, it does not matter how long it will last

For the meaning of Eminent - expansion. Harvest - determination click HERE
Line 2. 'Expressing (or famous or known for) team-words', or famous or known and yet team-words. 'Expressing' or 'singing about': the character is a bird with mouth, a singing bird. Same character is used in hex.16.1
Line 3. 'Wearisome' or laboring or achieved or achieved merit.
Line 5. Nobody will agree with my translation. So instead of 'cleaning and chopping etc' read: approaching and beheading: if you are starving and nobody is helping you, then get it by force, rather than dying by being a decent person?
Line 6: 'Expressing' see line 2. March against: set right, bring in order.

With the radical 'bird' instead of 'words' (see the picture at left, niao3) gives the character jian1, a one-winged mythical bird.
About the bird Jian: Williams' dictionary, p.115c: Described in Chinese books as a strange bird like a duck, the 'paired-wings bird', with one eye and one wing, affiliated to the plaice [flounder/flatfish] in its structure, and so made that two must unite for either of them to fly; the spoonbill (Platalea major) found on the coasts of Formosa, and regarded by the natives an anomaly among birds.
With the radical 'rodent' instead of 'words' (see the picture at right, shu3), one gets the character qian, the Cricetulus triton, the Great Grey Hamster or Korean Grey Rat (Rutt, 'Zhouyi'). It also lives in China and eats crops, staying close to mankind. It can scream loudly, and stand on its hind legs.

My first thought was of animals like the Prairie-dog, who also stands on its hind legs. A few of them keep watch so the others can eat safely. In 'Animal-speak' by Ted Andrews the prairie-dog symbolizes cooperation. But the Korean Rat was a solitary animal, so maybe it was its living together with man causing its 'together'-name: like the noble one in the Image, reducing what is too much. In Mexico people live together with marmots, keeping them for food. Maybe the Korean Rat also served man for food? Then the cooperation would be two-way. More probable though is, that its name simply indicated 'corngrabber', the one who takes the corn he needs (line 5).