Hexagram 31, line 5
九五Line 5 of Sensing
Nine in the fifth place · 咸 xián
爻辭 The line text
咸其脢，无悔。The fifth line, undivided, shows one moving the flesh along the spine above the heart. There will be no occasion for repentance.
咸其脢，志末也。'He (tries to) move the flesh along the spine above the heart:'—his aim is trivial.
In plain words
Influence reaches the flesh of the back, the part of the body that feels least. Line five is the ruler of the hexagram, yang in the central place of the upper trigram, and the text says only 'no regret' — not good fortune. The small Image explains: the will is at the end (志末), feeling has passed its peak and the ruler responds with equanimity rather than passion. Commentators read it both ways: a leader who is unmoved by what moves others avoids mistakes, but also fails to stir anyone.
If this line is changing
Being unmoved keeps you out of trouble but wins no one over; decide whether this is a moment for composure or for a response that costs something.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
- It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
- It belongs to the upper trigram 兌 Dui (the Joyous) (lake).
- It corresponds (應) with line 2: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
咸 Sensing becomes ䷽ 62 小過 Small Excess
Thunder on the mountain: the flying bird leaves its call behind. Success in small things, not great; better to come down than to go up — overdo the small virtues of respect, grief and thrift rather than attempt grand moves.
What it becomes62 · 小過 Small Excessxiǎo guòThe six lines of 咸 Sensing
- 初六Six at the beginningfirst stirring · intention · too early
- 六二Six in the second placerestlessness · stay put · wait to be moved
- 九三Nine in the third placefollowing others · impulse · regret
- 九四Nine in the fourth placethe heart · steadiness · scattered thoughts
- 九五Nine in the fifth placethe back · no regret · beyond feeling
- 上六Six at the topwords only · the mouth · shallow influence
Read 咸 Sensing for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine in the fifth place of hexagram 31, Sensing, mean?
- Influence reaches the flesh of the back, the part of the body that feels least. Line five is the ruler of the hexagram, yang in the central place of the upper trigram, and the text says only 'no regret' — not good fortune. The small Image explains: the will is at the end (志末), feeling has passed its peak and the ruler responds with equanimity rather than passion. Commentators read it both ways: a leader who is unmoved by what moves others avoids mistakes, but also fails to stir anyone.
- What does hexagram 31 become when line 5 changes?
- Sensing becomes hexagram 62, 小過 Small Excess: Thunder on the mountain: the flying bird leaves its call behind. Success in small things, not great; better to come down than to go up — overdo the small virtues of respect, grief and thrift rather than attempt grand moves.
- Is line 5 of Sensing in its correct place?
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands. It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).