When the second line changes, lower Dui becomes Zhen. Zhen represents feet and action. As inverted Gen, it also represents energy opposed to Gen. Zhen can be a container, while Dui means smallness. Dui becoming Zhen reduces yang energy while increasing the container’s capacity: the focal player has less positive energy but a greater appetite. Having successfully attached, it stops disguising its nature and begins to feed.

The action meets resistance. Qian and Gen sit right above Zhen. Gen represents obstacles and Qian great strength, so the image indicates formidable obstruction. Transformed L2 is Wuwang, Qian above Zhen, a hexagram associated with unfavorable attempts to advance. The focal player is suppressed. In the parasite scene, For the parasite, thick skin and dense hair on the tail obstruct feeding.

In Hidden L2, however, the situation favors the focal player: lower Gen becomes Xun, meaning the other player yields. The focal player's earlier sacrifice has lowered the other player's guard. Zhen in lines three, four, and five now overlaps Dui in lines two, three, and four, suggesting the focal player rising and gaining an advantage. The parasite reaches thinner skin and begins to feed. In social relationships, the focal player obtains a lucrative official position from which benefits can be extracted.

The sequence therefore contains reversals. The focal player first secures an advantage and reveals its nature, then encounters suppression, and finally rises as the other player yields. Upright and inverted Dui–Xun in lines one through four of Hidden L2 also suggest setbacks and repeated verbal exchanges. The path is winding. In this interpretation, a winding path better expresses the imagery than the level and unobstructed path described in the received text.

This phrase clarifies the reading for a specific category of divination. Gen and Zhen overlap in lines one through four of Transformed L2. Zhen represents the focal player, a person; Gen represents government, obstruction, and prison. Together they depict a person confined by the authorities. Wuwang also shows the Zhen side blocked by the Gen side. An inexperienced interpreter would naturally conclude that this line is not a good sign for a prisoner. The line statement corrects this interpretation.

Hidden L2 explains why. Gen becomes Xun, so confinement retreats. Zhen in lines three, four, and five overlaps Dui in lines two, three, and four above partial Gen in lines one and two. Dui represents release and emergence; partial Gen represents prison. Zhen escapes. The upright and inverted Xun structure in lines one through four can also represent repeated binding, like ropes or fetters, while upper Kun means disappearance and absence. The restraints become ineffective. These images depict release from prison and fetters.

The qualification matters. Hidden L2 is Kun above Xun. Kun means emptiness and nonaccomplishment; Xun means gains, suggesting empty material returns. Kun above Zhen in lines four through six also represents an unobstructed path. The principal benefit is freedom of movement, not material profit. For a prisoner, release from obstruction is precisely the desired outcome. For someone seeking profit, the same Kun–Xun image may indicate failure to obtain the expected return. An auspicious result for one decision problem need not be auspicious for another.

The second line continues the first. The focal player first steps onto the tail, then maneuvers, opens a path, and finds the best feeding site. Feeding comes next. In nature, parasites cause itching and discomfort. Hosts bite or scratch itchy areas, corresponding to the third line; rub against hard objects or swing their tails, corresponding to the fourth; or remove parasites directly, corresponding to the fifth.

In the case of social relationships, conflict is already implied. Lines one through four of Transformed L2 form overlapping Gen and Zhen. Previously, Li tightly joined partial Zhen and partial Gen, symbolizing close friendship. More yin lines now separate Zhen and Gen: a rift has formed, foreshadowing the third line's biting.