咸 → 損
Hexagram 31: Influence → Hexagram 41: Decrease
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 6 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 咸其拇。
Six at the beginning means: The influence shows itself in the big toe.
Line 2
六二 咸其腓。凶。居吉。
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。
Nine in the third place means: The influence shows itself in the thighs. Holds to that which follows it. To continue is humiliating.
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
合歡之國，嘉喜我福，東岳西山，朝齊成恩。
The land of Joined Happiness; auspicious joy blesses our fortune. Eastern peak and western mountain; paying court to Qi, completing the bond of grace.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
A lake upon a mountain, and mutual delight gives rise to auspicious union. A nation of shared joy, blessings bestowed upon us — happiness radiates from collective harmony. The eastern peak and western mountain stand together, paying homage at Qi's court and receiving grace in return. The 'Eastern Peak' (東岳) is Mount Tai, the holiest of the Five Sacred Mountains, while the 'Western Mountain' may represent the western ranges. Their pairing suggests the full compass of the realm united in tribute. From Influence to Decrease, the mountain's receptive openness transforms into the mountain above a lake — the upper gives to the lower in willing sacrifice. The joy described is not accumulation but the happiness that arises when what is above freely yields to what is below, creating reciprocal blessing.
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