above Dui, the Joyous, lake · below Gen, Keeping Still, mountain
The theme is attraction, courting and being won. All success rests on mutual attraction, and entering into a union turns out well. The image is a lake on a mountain: because the summit is hollowed and does not jut out, the moisture comes to it. Keep yourself inwardly open and still, listen before you answer, and show the other person consideration. Don’t play the know-all. ‘People soon stop advising the man who always thinks he knows best.’
Where could you become more open, so that others can come closer to you or offer you advice?
The name of the sign means ‘universal’, ‘all-pervading’ and, in a figurative sense, ‘to influence’, ‘to stimulate’. The upper sign is Dui, the Joyous, the lower Gen, Keeping Still. The rigid lower sign, by its persevering and still action, stimulates the weak upper sign, which responds to this stimulus cheerfully and with joy. Gen, the lower sign, is the youngest son; the upper, Dui, the youngest daughter. Thus the universal mutual attraction of the sexes is portrayed. In courtship the masculine must take the initiative and place itself beneath the feminine.
Just as the first part of the book begins with the signs for heaven and earth, as the foundations of all that exists, so the second part begins with the signs for courtship and marriage, as the foundations of all social relationships.
Some old words keep coming back in Wilhelm’s sayings:
Influence. Success.Perseverance is favourable.To marry a maiden brings good fortune.
The weak is above, the strong below; so their forces attract each other and they unite. This brings about success. For all success rests on the working of mutual attraction. Inner keeping still combined with outward joy ensures that joy does not exceed its measure but remains within the bounds of what is right. That is the meaning of the added admonition, ‘perseverance is favourable’; for this is what distinguishes courtship, in which the strong man places himself beneath the weak maiden and shows her consideration, from seduction. This attraction of elective affinity is a universal law of nature. Heaven and earth attract each other, and so all beings come into existence. Through such attraction the sage works upon the hearts of men, and so the world finds peace. From the attractions that a thing exerts, one can recognise the nature of all beings in heaven and on earth.
On the mountain is a lake: the image of influence.So the noble one, through his readiness to receive, lets people come to him.
A mountain with a lake on its top is stimulated by the lake’s moisture. This advantage falls to it because its summit does not jut out but is hollowed. The image yields the counsel that one should keep oneself inwardly lowly and free, so as to remain receptive to good advice. People soon stop advising the man who always thinks he knows best.
Wilhelm placed the signs ○ and □ after certain lines (p. 334 f.). They mark the rulers of the hexagram. □ stands by the constituting ruler: the line that gives the hexagram its meaning, however high it stands and whatever its character. ○ stands by the governing ruler. It is always of good character and becomes ruler through the meaning of the time and its position, usually in the fifth place. Where a line is both, it carries ○.
The influence shows itself in the big toe.
A movement first stirs in the toes: the intention is there, yet it can’t be seen from outside. As long as it has no effect, it is neither good nor bad for anyone else. You don’t need to make anything of it yet; what matters is what visibly comes of it.
Before a movement is actually carried out, it first shows itself in the toes. The idea of influence is already there. But at first it does not yet become visible to others. As long as the intention has no visible effects, it is of no consequence to the outside world and leads neither to good nor to evil.
The influence shows itself in the calves:misfortune!Abiding brings good fortune.
The calf follows the foot and can neither walk of its own accord nor stand still on its own. This is movement that depends on something else and is not its own master, and that turns out badly. Wait quietly until a real impulse moves you to act; then it turns out well.
The calf follows the foot in its movement. It can neither go forward of itself nor stand still on its own. It is a movement that is not independent and, because it is not master of itself, it is ill-fated. One should wait quietly until one is moved to act by a real influence. Then one remains free from harm.
The influence shows itself in the thighs.It holds to that which follows it.To go on is humiliating.
Wherever the heart is drawn, the legs run, without stopping to think. If you follow every whim straight away, in the long run you shame yourself. Don’t run after everyone you hope to win over, don’t grant every wish of the people you work for, and keep the freedom to hold back in the face of your own moods too.
Every mood of the heart prompts a movement. Wherever the heart strives, the thighs run, without stopping to think; they hold to the heart they follow. But applied to human life, this way of setting oneself in motion at once at the prompting of every whim is not right and, if kept up, leads to humiliation. A threefold idea emerges. One must not simply run after all the people one would like to influence, but must be able to hold back when circumstances require. Nor should one comply at once with every whim of those whom one serves. And finally, one should never neglect, in the face of the moods of one’s own heart, the power of restraint on which human freedom rests.
To persevere brings good fortune; remorse disappears.If one’s thoughts go restlessly to and fro,only those friends will followtowards whom one directs conscious thoughts.
Here the heart itself is touched, and the most important influence goes out from it. See that your influence is steady and good, and let your nature quietly do its work; then it turns out well, and what you regret will pass. If you set out to work on people deliberately, you wear yourself out with all the to and fro and reach only the few you direct your thoughts at.
Here the place of the heart is reached. The stimulus that goes out from here is the most important. Particular care must be taken that the influence be constant and good; then, despite the danger that arises from the great mobility of the human heart, there is no longer any need for remorse. When the quiet strength of one’s own personal nature is at work, the effects are normal. All people who are receptive to the vibrations of such a spirit are then influenced. Influence on others should not show itself as a conscious and deliberate working upon them. For through such conscious agitation one becomes agitated oneself and is worn down by the endless to and fro. Besides, the effects are then confined to the people towards whom one consciously directs one’s thoughts.
The influence shows itself in the back of the neck.No remorse.
The back of the neck is the most immovable part of the body; an influence there does not throw a firm will into confusion. So there is nothing to regret. Keep your firmness, yet see the price as well: if nothing can move you, you can hardly move anyone else either.
The back of the neck is the most immovable part of the body. When the influence shows itself here, the will nevertheless remains firm, and the influence does not lead to confusion. Remorse therefore does not come into question here. What goes on in these depths of the being, the subconscious, can neither be called forth nor prevented by the conscious mind. Admittedly, if one cannot be influenced oneself, neither can one have any influence on the outside world.
The influence shows itself in the jaws, cheeks and tongue.
This is the most superficial way of seeking influence: mere talk with nothing real behind it. Such words are bound to carry no weight, which is why the line says nothing about whether things turn out well or badly. If you want to make a difference, make sure there is something behind your words.
The most superficial way of trying to gain influence over others is through mere talk, with nothing real behind the words. Such stimulus, produced by the mere movement of the organs of speech, necessarily remains insignificant. That is why nothing is added about good fortune or misfortune.
Would you like to put your own question to the I Ching? Six throws of three coins, and the answer appears straight away.
Consult the I ChingTexts by Richard Wilhelm: I Ging. Das Buch der Wandlungen (first edition Jena 1924), translated into English by NUMEN COMPASS from the Diederichs edition, Munich 1996. Wilhelm’s German text is in the public domain. The section ‘What the hexagram says today’, the question for you and the short notes under the lines are our own reading. The I Ching is no substitute for medical, legal or psychological advice.