隨 → 需
Hexagram 17: Following → Hexagram 5: Waiting
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 4).
Line 2
六二 係小子。失丈夫。
Six in the second place means: If one clings to the little boy, One loses the strong man.
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?
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
釣目厭部，善逐人走；來嫁無夫，不安其廬。
Alluring eyes and haughty bearing, adept at chasing men away; she comes to marry but finds no husband, and cannot settle in her home.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder rests within the lake, but the scene turns to domestic disorder. Eyes dart and bodies chase — a household in disarray where people pursue and displace one another. A bride arrives but finds no husband waiting; she cannot settle in her home. The verse depicts the failure of Following's core promise: that willing adherence to the proper rhythm brings belonging. Instead, timing is off, connections misfire, and the newcomer finds emptiness where partnership should be. From Following to Waiting, the transformation underscores the irony — Xu's clouds gather above heaven, promising nourishment that has not yet arrived. The bride must wait, but waiting without a foundation yields only anxious displacement.
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