鼎 → 隨
Hexagram 50: The Cauldron → Hexagram 17: Following
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 鼎顛趾。利出否。得妾以其子。无咎。
Six at the beginning means: A ting with legs upturned. Furthers removal of stagnating stuff. One takes a concubine for the sake of her son. No blame.
Line 2
九二 鼎有實。我仇有疾。不我能即。吉。
Nine in the second place means: There is food in the ting. My comrades are envious, But they cannot harm me. Good fortune.
Line 3
九三 鼎耳革。其行塞。雉膏不食。方雨虧悔。終吉。
Nine in the third place means: The handle of the ting is altered. One is impeded in his way of life. The fat of the pheasant is not eaten. Once rain falls, remorse is spent. Good fortune comes in the end.
Line 5
六五 鼎黃耳金鉉。利貞。
Six in the fifth place means: The ting has yellow handles, golden carrying rings. Perseverance furthers.
Line 6
上九 鼎玉鉉。大吉。无不利。
Nine at the top means: The ting has rings of jade. Great good fortune. Nothing that would not act to further.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
吉日舉釣，田弋獵禽。反行飲至，以告喜功。
On a lucky day he raises his rod; in field and marsh he hunts the fowl. Returning, he drinks to the homecoming, announcing glad success.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire over wind fills the cauldron; thunder rests within the lake as one follows the natural rhythm. On an auspicious day, fishing rods are cast and hawks released to hunt game. The party returns in triumph, drinking the victory toast and announcing their success. This is a scene of ritual leisure — not random sport but divination-guided hunting, conducted on a day deemed favorable. The return feast with its formal 'drinking to completion' ceremony echoes Zhou military protocol where returning armies offered wine and reported their deeds. From The Cauldron to Following, the transformation maps ritual nourishment onto responsive timing. The cauldron prepares; Following's lake-over-thunder rests and then acts at the right moment. Success comes from aligning with the season.
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