Hexagram 31: Influence (Wooing)
䷞ 咸 Xián – The Book of Changes
The Judgment
Influence indicates that there will be free course and success. Its advantage will depend on being firm and correct, as in marrying a young lady. There will be good fortune.
The Image
A lake upon a mountain: the image of Influence. Thus the superior man keeps his mind free from preoccupation and open to receive the influences of others.
Description
Influence (Xian) shows a lake resting on a mountain: the mountain is still and open, the lake responds. Mutual attraction arises when one side receives with an empty, unprejudiced mind. The figure is about courtship, persuasion and every influence that works through openness instead of pressure.
The six lines
A line's place shapes its role: 1 the beginning, 2 the center of the inner world, 3 the threshold to the outside, 4 close to power, 5 the ruler's place, 6 the end and the excess. Keep this grid in mind and the line texts become much easier to read. More in the guide →
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Line 1: Old Yin (bottom)
Influence stirs the heart. Favorable — gentle touch moves mountains; subtlety is power.
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Line 2: Old Yin
Influence with sincerity. Favorable — truth attracts truth; be real.
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Line 3: Old Yang
Influence with manipulation. Danger — false charm corrupts connection; return to honesty.
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Line 4: Old Yang
Influence with clarity. Favorable — know your impact; act with care.
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Line 5: Old Yang
Influence with humility. Favorable — the soft leads the strong; let grace guide.
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Line 6: Old Yin (top)
Influence transforms. Favorable — hearts align; the dance begins.
Reading by area of life
❤️ What does hexagram 31 mean for relationships and private life?
Attraction is strong and mutual. A new connection may form or an existing one may deepen. Let it unfold naturally: open, respectful, without pushing. Listening earns more than persuading. Courtship has its own rhythm, and patience is part of the charm. Commitment made in sincerity now carries good fortune; manipulation or game-playing spoils it quickly.
💼 What does hexagram 31 mean for work and money?
Persuasion works best through openness. Listen to clients and colleagues before presenting your case, and let them influence you too. Partnerships and negotiations are favored when both sides feel heard. Avoid pressure tactics. Humility in the face of good ideas, wherever they come from, makes you more convincing. Mutual attraction between people, products and markets drives success now.
🌌 What does hexagram 31 mean for your personal path and spirituality?
Empty the mind to receive. Prejudice and preoccupation block every true encounter, with people, with nature, with the sacred. Meditation that clears inner noise makes you sensitive to subtle influences. Let yourself be moved. Real influence on others flows the same way: not through effort, but through the quiet resonance of a sincere and open heart.
Nuclear hexagram
Lines 2, 3 and 4 form the lower trigram, lines 3, 4 and 5 the upper one. Leaving out the beginning and the end reveals the core of the situation, what is at work out of sight. It is a secondary aspect, not a second verdict. If it seems to contradict the main hexagram, that happens and is not an error. More in the guide →
Lines 2, 3, 4 and 3, 4, 5 form nuclear hexagram 44, Coming to Meet. It shows what is at work beneath the surface – an inner tendency, not a verdict on the situation itself.
Hexagram 44 – Coming to Meet
Coming to Meet shows a female who is bold and strong. It will not be good to marry such a female.
The two trigrams
- Upper, outer: Dui – Lake
- The Joyous (Youngest Daughter). Within, it shows as joy, self-reflection and openness; without, as inspiration that finds expression through conversation and creativity.
- Lower, inner: Gen – Mountain
- Keeping Still (Youngest Son). Within, it means gathering, boundaries and stillness; without, stability, reflection and the completion of a cycle.