What this change means
Thunder shakes both trigrams as the first and fourth lines move, and the quiet Earth trembles. The fourth leads: stay away from the noise, out of sight, like a bag tied at the neck. The first adds frost underfoot: decline can creep in, so take precautions. The resulting hexagram, 51 Shock, describes the unexpected situations that frighten others. Keep control, act calmly, and don't lose your composure; that attitude can let you succeed where others fail. So the counsel is twofold. Prepare quietly before the shaking starts, noticing the small signs and protecting what matters. When it comes, stay out of the commotion. Don't add your voice to the panic, and don't make dramatic moves. Composure, kept in private and shown in action, tends to carry you through the noise.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 4 of 2 Passivity
Staying away from the noise, out of sight, is the best way to get what you want.
A bag tied at the neck. No fault, no praise.
- Line 1 of 2 Passivity
Things can decline without anyone noticing. It's time to take precautions so the decline doesn't become total.
Frost underfoot. Firm ice is on its way.
- The judgment of 2 Passivity
This is not the time to take the initiative to achieve things. It's better to let others guide you and to keep at your projects with patience.
Great success. The constancy of a mare is favorable. The noble person has somewhere to go: going ahead, they lose the way; following behind, they find someone to guide them. It is favorable to find friends in the southwest and to lose them in the northeast. Calm constancy brings good fortune.
- The judgment of 51 Shock
When unexpected situations come along that would frighten others, keep control and act calmly, without losing your composure. This attitude will get you results in what you want and let you succeed where others fail.
Success. Thunder comes, and there is dread; then laughter and easy talk. The thunder alarms a hundred leagues around, yet neither the ladle nor the sacrificial wine is let fall.
The trigrams
The way back
51 Shock → 2 Passivitylines 1 and 4
Other transformations of Passivity
- 19Fleeting Successlines 1 and 2
- 36Darknesslines 1 and 3
- 46Going Uplines 2 and 3
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 2 and 4
- 62Success in Small Matterslines 3 and 4
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 1 and 5
- 29Waterlines 2 and 5
- 39Held Backlines 3 and 5
- 45Meetinglines 4 and 5
- 27Nourishmentlines 1 and 6
- 4Immaturitylines 2 and 6
- 52Abidinglines 3 and 6
- 35Advancelines 4 and 6
- 20Observinglines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.