咸 → 賁
Hexagram 31: Influence → Hexagram 22: Grace
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 4, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 咸其拇。
Six at the beginning means: The influence shows itself in the big toe.
Line 4
九四 貞吉悔亡。憧憧往來。朋從爾思。
Nine in the fourth place means: Perseverance brings good fortune. Remorse disappears. If a man is agitated in mind, And his thoughts go hither and thither, Only those friends On whom he fixes his conscious thoughts Will follow.
Line 5
九五 咸其脢。无悔。
Nine in the fifth place means: The influence shows itself in the back of the neck. No remorse.
Line 6
上六 咸其輔頰舌。
Six at the top means: The influence shows itself in the jaws, cheeks, and tongue.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
雄狐唯唯,登上山嵬,昭告顯功,大福允興。
The male fox, bold and sure; climbs up the towering peak. Proclaiming bright achievements; great blessings truly flourish.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
A lake upon a mountain, and from below a male fox climbs boldly. The fox ascends the high crag with confident steps, announcing great accomplishments for all to see, and abundant blessings flourish. The fox in Chinese symbolism is often cunning or deceptive, but a 'male fox' (雄狐) ascending prominently and proclaiming merit suggests bold assertion rewarded — not trickery but audacity that succeeds because the moment is right. From Influence to Grace, the mountain's open receptivity transforms into fire glowing beneath the mountain: natural beauty illuminating substance. The fox's ascent and proclamation resonates with Grace's principle of form adorning content. Genuine accomplishment, when openly displayed at the proper time, attracts the blessings it deserves.
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