乾 → 咸
Hexagram 1: The Creative → Hexagram 31: Influence
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 6).
Line 1
初九 潛龍勿用。
Nine at the beginning means: Hidden dragon. Do not act.
Line 2
九二 見龍在田。利見大人。
Nine in the second place means: Dragon appearing in the field. It furthers one to see the great man.
Line 6
上九 亢龍有悔。
Nine at the top means: Arrogant dragon will have cause to repent.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
三人求橘，反得丹穴。女貴以富，黃金百鎰。
Three men seek oranges but find instead a cinnabar cavern. A woman becomes noble and rich; a hundred measures of gold.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Three people set out seeking oranges but discover instead a cinnabar cave — a source of alchemical treasure far more valuable than fruit. A woman becomes noble and wealthy, gaining a hundred measures of gold. From Creative to Influence, the lake sits atop the mountain, the image of mutual attraction and openness. Xian means to influence without force — the empty heart that receives. The verse enacts this: seeking one thing, the travelers find another of far greater worth because they remained open to what the journey offered. The cinnabar cave, associated with immortality and transformation, appears to those who approach without rigid expectation. Influence works through receptivity, not pursuit.
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