隨 → 漸
Hexagram 17: Following → Hexagram 53: Development
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 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 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
牧羊稻園，聞虎喧嚾；畏懼悚息，終無禍患。
Herding sheep in the rice paddy, hearing the tiger roar; trembling with fright, breath held still -- yet in the end, no disaster.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder rests within the lake, and a shepherd tends his flock in a rice paddy when a tiger's roar erupts nearby. Fear grips him and he holds his breath — yet in the end, no disaster befalls him. The pastoral scene is shattered by a predator's voice, but the shepherd's instinctive stillness saves him. He does not run, which would trigger pursuit; he does not fight, which would ensure death. He simply freezes, and the danger passes. From Following to Development, the tree grows slowly upon the mountain in Jian — gradual, unhurried progress. The shepherd's survival mirrors Jian's wisdom: when confronted with sudden terror, the response is not rash action but patient immobility, allowing the threat to move on of its own accord.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store