Hexagram 31: Influence

咸 (Xián)

Mutual attraction and the power of gentle influence.

Overview

What kind of connection between people does this sign speak about? You have gathered enough knowledge, and you can use it well in many areas of work. But you do need companions. The help of other people matters a great deal for your success.

It is not enough simply to ask for help. You have to find the people you will work with and bring them to your side. This kind of connection means support in both directions. Only then does everyone involved become more effective.

People around you

Give close attention to your relationships with the people around you. That is your first task now. Everything else comes second and will bring you little.

Look for what can interest both you and the people whose support you are counting on. At first you may meet difficulties, but later you stand a good chance of coming out the winner.

Work and rest

Be very careful in your work. Until you have real cooperation, it is better not to be too active.

Try to plan your working day as well as you can. Work and rest should be balanced, so that things do not fall into chaos.

Your wish

If your wish has to do with building a relationship with someone around you, the answer is favorable. How long you will wait for it is another question. Act as you planned, but do not forget to listen to your inner voice.

This Overview is one traditional reading of the figure, offered as a prompt for reflection and perspective rather than a prediction of a fixed future. Where this material comes from.

New to the sequence? See how lines, trigrams and changing lines work, or cast your own reading with the three-coin method.

Structure

Read from the bottom upward, hexagram 31 is Lake over Mountain. Its two inner, or nuclear, trigrams are Heaven over Wind/Wood. What the eight trigrams mean.

Upper trigram (lines 4–6): Duì · Lake Joyous and open
Lower trigram (lines 1–3): Gèn · Mountain Still and stopping
Upper nuclear (lines 3–5): Qián · Heaven Creative and strong
Lower nuclear (lines 2–4): Xùn · Wind/Wood Gentle and penetrating