咸 → 需
Hexagram 31: Influence → Hexagram 5: Waiting
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 4).
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 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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
入宇多悔，耕石不富，衡門屢空，使士失意。
Entering the house, much regret; plowing stone yields no wealth. The crossbar gate stands often empty; it makes the scholar lose heart.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
A lake upon a mountain draws influence downward, but here the flow yields only regret. Entering a household brings remorse, plowing stony ground produces no harvest, the simple crossbar gate stands repeatedly empty, and the worthy scholar is left frustrated. 'Plowing stone' echoes the futile labor of sowing where nothing can grow. The 'crossbar gate' (衡門) alludes to the Shijing poem of the same name, describing the scholar's modest dwelling. The verse layers images of misdirected effort and unrewarded virtue. From Influence to Waiting, the mountain's openness transforms into heaven beneath gathering clouds: one waits above the abyss with provisions nowhere in sight. The resonance that should bring connection instead brings only the long patience of those whose worth goes unrecognized.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store