隨 → 家人
Hexagram 17: Following → Hexagram 37: The Family
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 3, 4, 6).
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.
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
水父海母，先來鳴呴；澤皋之土，從高而處。
Water for father, sea for mother -- first they call in unison; at the marsh and the wetland, following the heights to make their dwelling.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder rests within the lake, and cosmic parents call to their young. Water is the father, the sea is the mother — the primal couple whose union generates all moisture and life. They cry out first, summoning their offspring. Then the soil of marshes and wetlands, following the call, rises to settle on high ground. The verse presents a cosmogony of water and earth: parental waters call, and the land they nourish responds by seeking elevation. From Following to the Family, wind emerges from fire — warmth within radiates as influence outward. The primal family of water and earth mirrors Jia Ren's domestic order: when the parents' call is clear, each element finds its proper station.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store