A lake rests on a mountain, the water soaking into the stone and the mountain holding it up. Xian is mutual attraction and influence, the natural stirring between people that leads to relationship, especially courtship. Real influence comes from receptivity: making room for the other, being moved by them, rather than pushing or manipulating.
Judgment
咸：亨，利貞，取女吉。
Influence: success. Steadfastness is favorable. Taking a wife: good fortune.
Image
山上有澤，咸；君子以虛受人。
A lake on the mountain: influence. Taking this as a model, the noble one keeps themself open and empty to receive others.
- Mutual attraction
- Influence through receptivity
- Courtship and relationship
- Openness to others
- Sincere feeling
- attraction
- influence
- openness
- relationship
- receptivity
- feeling
- Influence works through openness, not pressure.
- Make room inside yourself for the other person.
- Feelings must be sincere and steady to lead somewhere.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Six at the beginning 初六
Line text
咸其拇。
Influence in the big toe.
The first stirring of an intention, not yet visible. Nothing happens yet; it is only the start of a movement.
- First stirring
- Early intention
- Overinterpreting a faint signal
- Noticing what is starting to move you
Line 2Six in the second place 六二
Line text
咸其腓，凶，居吉。
Influence in the calf: misfortune. Staying put: good fortune.
You feel the urge to move before the time is right. Acting on this impulse alone would go wrong. Wait until there is a real reason to move.
- Premature urge
- Waiting
- Acting on impulse alone
- Moving later, for a real reason
Line 3Nine in the third place 九三
Line text
咸其股，執其隨，往吝。
Influence in the thigh, holding on to what it follows. Going on: regret.
Following every whim of the heart, or attaching yourself to someone else's moods, leads to regret. Exercise self-restraint.
- Following whims
- Lack of self-control
- Running after every desire
- Acting from your own center
Line 4Nine in the fourth place 九四
Line text
貞吉悔亡，憧憧往來，朋從爾思。
Steadfastness: good fortune; regret passes. Restless, coming and going: only friends follow your thoughts.
This is the place of the heart. Steady, sincere feeling has wide, natural influence. Calculated, anxious efforts to influence reach only a small circle.
- Influence from the heart
- Steadiness versus agitation
- Restless attempts to control outcomes
- Influence that spreads naturally
Line 5Nine in the fifth place 九五
Line text
咸其脢，无悔。
Influence in the nape of the neck: no regret.
A firm will that is not easily swayed. It does not influence others much, but you will have nothing to regret.
- Firm will
- Limited influence
- Rigidity that blocks connection
- Steadiness without regret
Line 6Six at the top 上六
Line text
咸其輔頰舌。
Influence in the jaw, cheeks and tongue.
Influence that is all talk. Words without substance do not move anyone for long.
- Empty words
- Talk without substance
- Relying on persuasion alone
- Letting actions speak
Related hexagrams
Have a question on your mind?
Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
The second half of the I Ching begins with Xian, the meeting of the youngest son (mountain) and youngest daughter (lake), the most natural attraction. The strong yields to the weak: the mountain lies below and supports the lake. The reading may suggest a situation in which connection, emotional or practical, is forming, and in which your stance toward others shapes the outcome.
The image gives the key: receive people with an empty mind, free of preconceptions and demands. The lines trace influence moving up the body, from toe to calf to thigh to heart to back to mouth, warning against acting on impulse or on mere words. In relation to a question, Xian may emphasize attraction, listening and sincere, steady feeling.