既濟 → 咸
Hexagram 63: After Completion → Hexagram 31: Influence
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 4).
Line 1
初九 曳其輪。濡其尾。无咎。
Nine at the beginning means: He breaks his wheels. He gets his tail in the water. No blame.
Line 4
六四 繻有衣袽。終日戒。
Six in the fourth place means: The finest clothes turn to rags. Be careful all day long.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
雄狐綏綏，登山崔嵬。昭告顯功，大福允興。
The tiger roars from the cliff — pine needles tremble. The fierce dragon surges from the water — waves part. Standing at the summit, brandishing the long sword — the four quarters hear the fame and come unbidden.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water sits above fire, but this verse is a modern rewrite. The original reads: 'A magnificent fox moves with majestic ease, ascending the towering peak. He proclaims his conspicuous merit, and great blessings truly flourish.' The fox, traditionally a creature of cunning and adaptability, here ascends the heights with sovereign confidence. His merit is publicly declared and heaven responds with abundance. From After Completion to Influence, fire-and-water order transforms into the lake resting atop the mountain — Influence's image of mutual responsiveness. The completed one does not remain static but climbs higher and announces his accomplishments. Influence works through receptive openness: the mountain is still while the lake above draws all things toward it, and demonstrated merit attracts its own reward.
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