I Ching · King Wen 31
Hexagram 31: Influence
䷞ 咸 Xián · also called Wooing, Mutual Attraction, Conjoining · The Joyous above Keeping Still
Mutual attraction: influence that works because it is felt, not forced, and the courtship that follows.
attractionreceptivitycourtshipmutual feelingopenness
The meaning of Hexagram 31
Mountain below, lake above: the still mountain with the lake resting on its summit, the strong below the gentle, the two drawn together. Influence is the hexagram of attraction between people, and its structure is the whole argument: the strong yields its place, the gentle is above, and the two are joined by feeling that neither commands. The tradition's judgement is that success comes with persistence and that to take a wife brings good fortune. The reading says an attraction is real and mutual, and its lines trace the difference between influence that arises in the heart and influence that is merely restless movement in the toes, the calves, the tongue.
The image. A lake on the mountain; the wise person encourages people to approach by being receptive.
- Advice
- Be receptive; let influence arise from real feeling rather than from pressure or talk.
- Warning
- Influence pushed from the toes, the calves or the tongue, before the heart, drives away what it wants.
over
Structure: ☶ Keeping Still (Mountain) below, ☱ The Joyous (Lake) above. Nuclear hexagram 44, Coming to Meet. Every line reversed: 41, Decrease.
Hexagram 31 for love and relationships
The reading for love itself: genuine mutual attraction. Let it work at its own pace. The lines warn against pushing with the body before the heart has spoken, and against influencing by talk. Receptivity is what draws the other person.
Hexagram 31 for career
Influence that comes from openness rather than pressure. People approach a person who is receptive. Persuade by listening. The reading favours partnerships and alliances that form naturally.
Hexagram 31 for money
Attraction of the right people and opportunities through openness and good faith. Not the time to push a deal; the time to be approachable and let it come. Beware of influence exercised through mere talk.
Hexagram 31 for decisions
Decide by what you feel drawn to, once you have distinguished the deep pull from the restless one. The reading supports commitment where the attraction is mutual and calm.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
The influence shows itself in the jaws, cheeks and tongue.
Influence by talk alone: persuasion without feeling behind it. The line does not call it misfortune, only empty. Words that are not backed by the heart move nothing for long.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 33, Retreat. Read line 6 →
The influence shows itself in the back of the neck. No remorse.
The stiff part of the body, above the heart, that cannot be swayed. Someone whose will is firm and who cannot be influenced by what they do not choose. No remorse, and no great reach either; the line describes integrity, not warmth.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 62, Small Excess. Read line 5 →
Persistence brings good fortune; remorse disappears. If one is agitated and lets thoughts go to and fro, only those friends one deliberately thinks of will follow.
The heart itself, and the line at the centre of the hexagram. Influence that comes from a quiet, steady heart reaches everyone; influence from an agitated one reaches only those it aims at. Stillness is the wider reach.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 39, Obstruction. Read line 4 →
The influence shows itself in the thighs. Following what one's heart clings to brings humiliation.
Running after whatever attracts you, without judgement, as the thighs follow every impulse of the heart. The line describes the indignity of being led around by attraction. Choose what you follow.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 45, Gathering Together. Read line 3 →
The influence shows itself in the calves. Misfortune. Staying brings good fortune.
The urge to act before the influence has reached the heart: moving because the legs want to, not because the situation calls for it. The line is plain: wait, and it is fortunate; go, and it is not.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 28, Great Excess. Read line 2 →
The influence shows itself in the big toe.
The first faint stirring of attraction or intention, in the part of the body that moves first. Nothing has happened yet and nothing should. The line notices the impulse and does not act on it.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 49, Revolution. Read line 1 →
Related hexagrams
Cast your own reading
Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.
Ask the I Ching →Common questions
- What does I Ching Hexagram 31 mean?
- Mutual attraction: influence that works because it is felt, not forced, and the courtship that follows. Mountain below, lake above: the still mountain with the lake resting on its summit, the strong below the gentle, the two drawn together. Influence is the hexagram of attraction between people, and its structure is the whole argument: the strong yields its place, the gentle is above, and the two are joined by feeling that neither commands. The tradition's judgement is that success comes with persistence and that to take a wife brings good fortune. The reading says an attraction is real and mutual, and its lines trace the difference between influence that arises in the heart and influence that is merely restless movement in the toes, the calves, the tongue.
- What does Hexagram 31 mean for love?
- The reading for love itself: genuine mutual attraction. Let it work at its own pace. The lines warn against pushing with the body before the heart has spoken, and against influencing by talk. Receptivity is what draws the other person.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 31 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 49, Revolution; line 2 gives Hexagram 28, Great Excess; line 3 gives Hexagram 45, Gathering Together; line 4 gives Hexagram 39, Obstruction; line 5 gives Hexagram 62, Small Excess; line 6 gives Hexagram 33, Retreat. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 41, Decrease.