隨 → 咸
Hexagram 17: Following → Hexagram 31: Influence
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 3).
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 3
六三 係丈夫。失小子。隨有求得。利居貞。
Six in the third place means: If one clings to the strong man, One loses the little boy. Through following one finds what one seeks. It furthers one to remain persevering.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
稱幸上靈，媚悅於神；受福重重，子孫蕃功。
Praising the blessings of the High Spirits, delighting the gods with offerings; blessings received in abundance -- descendants flourish and prosper.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder rests within the lake, and the worshipper offers praise to the spirits above. Devotion and reverence delight the gods, who respond with blessings heaped upon blessings. Descendants multiply and achieve merit across generations. The verse depicts the ideal sacrificial exchange: sincere following of ritual protocol generates divine reciprocity. From Following to Influence, the lake atop the mountain captures heaven's moisture — Xian's open receptivity draws response from what is above. Just as the mountain's hollow summit collects dew, the empty heart of the worshipper receives the spirits' favor. Following here means following the rites with genuine feeling, and Influence confirms that such openness moves even the unseen.
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