Hexagram 31: Influence → Hexagram 10: Treading

Influence
Lake / Mountain
Treading
Heaven / Lake
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 6).

Line 1

初六 咸其拇。

xiánmoving
in
big toes

Six at the beginning means: The influence shows itself in the big toe.

Line 2

六二 咸其腓。凶。居吉。

xiánmoving
in
féilower legs
xiōngdisappointing
to abide
is promising

Six in the second place means: The influence shows itself in the calves of the legs. Misfortune. Tarrying brings good fortune.

Line 3

九三 咸其股。執其隨。往吝。

xiánmoving
in
thighs
zhímanage
those
suíconsequences
wǎngto go ahead
lìnis embarrassing

Nine in the third place means: The influence shows itself in the thighs. Holds to that which follows it. To continue is humiliating.

Line 6

上六 咸其輔頰舌。

xiánmoving
in
maxilla
jiájawbones: and mandible
shéand tongue

Six at the top means: The influence shows itself in the jaws, cheeks, and tongue.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramLake HeavenThe Joyous → The Creative
Lower TrigramMountain LakeKeeping Still → The Joyous

Yilin Verse

南國凶飢,民食糟糠,少子困捕,利無所得。

The southern lands, fierce famine; the people eat chaff and husks. The young struggle in vain to catch fish; profit cannot be had.

— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE

Commentary

A lake upon a mountain, but the south country starves. The people eat chaff and husks, the young are trapped in poverty, and all efforts to gain profit come to nothing. The 'southern kingdom' in Han-era usage often refers to the Chu region, an area of proverbial abundance now reduced to famine. The verse strips away all comfort: not merely hunger but the degradation of eating what animals eat, not merely poverty but the entrapment of the young who should be building futures. From Influence to Treading, the mountain's receptive openness becomes the image of treading upon a tiger's tail — heaven above, lake below, the weak stepping on the strong. When mutual feeling fails and the land yields nothing, every step forward courts disaster.

The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store

Related Pages