需 → 同人
Hexagram 5: Waiting → Hexagram 13: Fellowship
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 4, 6).
Line 2
九二 需于沙。小有言。終吉。
Nine in the second place means: Waiting on the sand. There is some gossip. The end brings good fortune.
Line 4
六四 需于血。出自穴。
Six in the fourth place means: Waiting in blood. Get out of the pit.
Line 6
上六 入于穴。有不速之客三人來。敬之終吉。
Six at the top means: One falls into the pit. Three uninvited guests arrive. Honor them, and in the end there will be good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
兩矛相刺，勇力鈞敵。交綏結和，不破不缺。
Two spears thrust at each other; their courage and strength are evenly matched. They exchange flags and make peace; nothing is broken or damaged.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Clouds above heaven give way to fire and heaven joined in fellowship. Two spears thrust at each other — warriors of equal courage and matched strength lock in combat. Yet instead of mutual destruction, they withdraw into a truce: 'crossing silk banners and binding peace, nothing broken, nothing lost.' The phrase 交綏 means to exchange retreat signals, a dignified disengagement when neither side can prevail. The verse celebrates the wisdom of recognizing a peer and choosing accord over annihilation. From Waiting to Fellowship, patience transforms into the conscious choice to unite: equals who could destroy each other discover that shared fire illuminates further than contested ground.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store