晉 → 隨
Hexagram 35: Progress → Hexagram 17: Following
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 晉如摧如。貞吉。罔孚。裕无咎。
Six at the beginning means: Progressing, but turned back. Perseverance brings good fortune. If one meets with no confidence, one should remain calm. No mistake.
Line 5
六五 悔亡。失得勿恤。往吉无不利。
Six in the fifth place means: Remorse disappears. Take not gain and loss to heart. Undertakings bring good fortune. Everything serves to further.
Line 6
上九 晉其角。維用伐邑。厲吉无咎。貞吝。
Nine at the top means: Making progress with the horns is permissible Only for the purpose of punishing one's own city. To be conscious of danger brings good fortune. No blame. Perseverance brings humiliation.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
左服易，右王良，心歡嘉，利從己。
The left trace horse is changed; on the right rides Wang Liang. The heart rejoices with delight; fortune follows one’s will.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire rises above the earth, and the chariot team is in fine order. The left trace-horse is easily managed, and to the right rides Wang Liang, the legendary charioteer of antiquity whose skill with reins was unmatched. The heart rejoices with delight, and advantage follows one's own direction. Wang Liang represents mastery so complete that control becomes effortless — the horses respond to intent rather than force. From Progress to Following, the transformation embodies this harmony. Thunder rests within the lake: movement yields to stillness at the proper time. The skilled driver follows the horses' natural rhythm rather than fighting it, and thus the journey serves the traveler's will. True leadership is indistinguishable from willing compliance.
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