Hexagram 31 · 泽山咸

Influence

Metal · Dui palace

Mutual attraction; receptivity enables influence.

Meaning

A lake on the mountain: two heights meeting, each open to the other. Influence concerns attraction and the way two parties move each other.

Decision Framework

Be open; let genuine resonance do the work.

Decision Guidance

Influence is the reading of mutual attraction rather than one-sided persuasion. It appears where two parties can genuinely move each other, and the outcome depends on receptivity on both sides.

The hexagram's emphasis is on inward openness rather than outward technique. It is described as the one force that cannot be compelled deliberately: attempts to manipulate attraction usually destroy it. So the recommended posture is honest self-presentation and genuine attention to the other party, allowing the resonance to be assessed rather than engineered.

Judgment — Classical Text

亨，利贞，取女吉。

EN Success. Perseverance furthers; taking a wife brings good fortune.

The Six Lines — Classical Text

1. 初六：咸其拇。

   EN Initial six: moved in the big toe.

2. 六二：咸其腓，凶，居吉。

   EN Six in the second: moved in the calves — misfortune; staying put brings good fortune.

3. 九三：咸其股，执其随，往吝。

   EN Nine in the third: moved in the thighs, holding to what follows — going brings regret.

4. 九四：贞吉悔亡，憧憧往来，朋从尔思。

   EN Nine in the fourth: perseverance brings good fortune, regret vanishes; restless coming and going, and friends follow your thoughts.

5. 九五：咸其脢，无悔。

   EN Nine in the fifth: moved in the back — no regret.

6. 上六：咸其辅颊舌。

   EN Topmost six: moved in the jaws, cheeks and tongue.

Keywords

I Ching hexagram 31, Influence hexagram, Xian hexagram meaning, hexagram for relationships