隨 → 觀
Hexagram 17: Following → Hexagram 20: Contemplation
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 4, 6).
Line 1
初九 官有渝。貞吉。出門交有功。
Nine at the beginning means: The standard is changing. Perseverance brings good fortune. To go out of the door in company Produces deeds.
Line 4
九四 隨有獲。貞凶。有孚在道以明。何咎。
Nine in the fourth place means: Following creates success. Perseverance brings misfortune. To go one's way with sincerity brings clarity. How could there be blame in this?
Line 6
上六 拘係之。乃從維之。王用亨于西山。
Six at the top means: He meets with firm allegiance And is still further bound. The king introduces him To the Western Mountain.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
志合意同，姬姜相從；嘉耦在門，夫子悅喜。
Wills aligned, hearts in accord; the Ji and Jiang clans join together. A fine match stands at the gate; husband and master rejoice.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder rests within the lake, and two hearts align as one. Ji and Jiang — the great aristocratic clans whose intermarriage structured Zhou political life — join together, following each other in purpose and desire. A fine match stands at the gate, and the lord of the house rejoices. The verse celebrates the ideal of marital harmony grounded in shared lineage and mutual respect: when the proper families unite, prosperity flows naturally. From Following to Contemplation, the wind sweeps across the earth and the sage-king surveys his people. The domestic felicity of a good marriage becomes the foundation from which broader vision and governance radiate outward.
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