The yin line is the broken line, two strokes with a gap between them (⚋). It is the yin half of yin and yang: what receives, adapts, accompanies and gives shape to whatever arrives.
How it shows up in a cast
The even line values give a yin line:
- 8, young yin: a stable line that stays as it is.
- 6, old yin: a moving line that has reached its extreme and turns into yang.
In the classical texts, a yin line is named with the number six, as in "six in the fourth place." Every line of Passivity carries that name.
What it brings
Yin isn't weakness. It's the strength of someone who knows how to wait, listen, hold steady and work with what's there. A yin line often asks you for receptiveness, patience, or support for something that doesn't depend on you alone.
As with the yang line, its meaning depends on where it sits. Among the line positions, the even places (2, 4 and 6) are considered yin places. A yin line in the second place, for instance, is both in its right place and at the center of the lower trigram, and the tradition looks on it very kindly.
If your hexagram has many yin lines, the moment most likely favors adapting over imposing.