隨 → 噬嗑
Hexagram 17: Following → Hexagram 21: Biting Through
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 5, 6).
Line 5
九五 孚于嘉。吉。
Nine in the fifth place means: Sincere in the good. Good fortune.
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
白馬駮騮，更生不休；富有商人，利得如丘。
White horse, dappled steed, breeding without cease; a wealthy merchant -- profits piled like hills.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder rests within the lake, and fine horses — white, dappled, and bay — breed ceaselessly, generation after generation. Wealthy merchants accumulate profits heaped high as hills. The verse links animal husbandry with commercial abundance: when livestock multiply without pause, trade flourishes and fortune piles up. From Following to Biting Through, the dynamic shifts from organic growth to decisive action — Shi He's thunder and lightning enforce order through the market's natural law. The merchant follows the rhythm of supply and reproduction; Shi He's judicial bite ensures that transactions remain honest. Abundance generated through following natural cycles is then protected by the sharp teeth of market justice.
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