咸 → 鼎
Hexagram 31: Influence → Hexagram 50: The Cauldron
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 5, 6).
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 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
昔憂解笑，故貪今富，載策履善，與福俱遇。
Past sorrows dissolve in laughter; former poverty turns to present wealth. Bearing plans, treading the path of good; meeting fortune at every turn.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
A lake upon a mountain, and the fortunes reverse completely. What was once a source of worry dissolves into laughter; former poverty transforms into present wealth. One loads the cart with good counsel, walks the path of virtue, and encounters blessing at every turn. The verse traces a complete arc from adversity to prosperity: anxiety gives way to joy, scarcity to abundance, all through the deliberate choice to follow the good. 'Loading strategy and treading virtue' (載策履善) suggests that the transformation is not luck but the accumulated reward of right action. From Influence to the Cauldron, the mountain's openness becomes fire above wind — the ritual vessel that refines raw offerings into sacred nourishment. The Cauldron transforms base material into something worthy, just as virtuous conduct transmutes past hardship into present fortune.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store