隨 → 旅
Hexagram 17: Following → Hexagram 56: The Wanderer
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 5, 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 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
初雖無輿，後得戰車；賴幸逢福，不罹兵革。
At first without a carriage; later a war chariot was found. Fortunate to meet with blessing, one escapes the clash of arms.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder rests within the lake, and the journey begins without a carriage. Yet later, a war chariot is obtained. Through fortunate timing, the traveler avoids the ravages of military conflict entirely. The verse narrates a reversal of circumstance: starting with nothing, one acquires the means of power, yet the real blessing is not the chariot itself but the fact that it was never needed for battle. From Following to the Wanderer, fire atop the mountain illuminates a transient path. Lü's traveler owns nothing permanently — even the war chariot is a temporary acquisition. The verse's deeper fortune lies in the wanderer's lightness: following circumstance rather than clinging to possessions, he passes through danger untouched.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store