Hexagram 31
泽山咸
Influence
Upper Trigram
☱
兑 (金)
Lower Trigram
☶
艮 (土)
Palace
兑 Palace
Shi / Ying Lines
Shi: Line 3 · Ying: Line 6
The 兑 trigram (金) sits above the 艮 trigram (土), forming 泽山咸. This hexagram belongs to the 兑 Palace.
Judgment (卦辞)
Influence. Success. Perseverance furthers. To take a maiden to wife brings good fortune.
Image (象辞)
A lake on the mountain: the image of Influence.
Line Texts (爻辞)
The influence shows itself in the big toe. (咸其拇)
The influence shows itself in the calves. (咸其腓)
The influence shows itself in the thighs. (咸其股)
Perseverance brings good fortune. Remorse disappears. (贞吉悔亡)
The influence shows itself in the back of the neck. (咸其脢)
The influence shows itself in the jaws, cheeks, and tongue. (咸其辅颊舌)
In-Depth Analysis
Hexagram 31, Xian (Influence), is Lake above Mountain - the young lake resting on the ancient mountain, the attraction between youth and wisdom. This is the hexagram of courtship, attraction, and influence that works through sensitivity rather than force. The judgment says to take a maiden to wife brings good fortune. The lines trace the rising path of attraction: from the big toe, to the calves, to the thighs, to the heart, to the neck, to the tongue. The hexagram teaches that genuine influence moves from below to above, from the physical to the spiritual, and that the most powerful attraction is wordless presence.
Historical Stories
📜 The courtship of Abelard and Heloise: their intellectual and physical attraction embodies Xian's movement from toe to tongue. Their tragedy also warns of the danger when influence is not properly ordered.
📜 Martin Buber's philosophy of I-Thou relationship: genuine influence happens in the space between two beings, not through manipulation. Xian's silent mountain and still lake capture this meeting of presences.
Practical Applications
Career: Influence is earned through presence, not persuasion. The most influential person in the room rarely speaks the most.
Relationships: Attraction begins physically but must rise to the heart and tongue. A relationship stuck at the toe level is not yet love.
Personal Growth: Who influences you? Trace the path from their effect on your body (excitement, calm, tension) to your mind and spirit.