What this change means
Thunder moves under heaven as four lines move, and the Earth wakes into honest action. When four lines change, the meaning gathers in the two lines of the resulting hexagram, 25 Innocence, that don't move: the second and the third. The second says success comes from doing the work without eyeing the reward. The third asks you to watch for the right time, since even a kind act goes wrong when it's badly timed. So the counsel is purity of motive and care with timing. Do the work for its own sake. Let go of calculating rewards. And before acting, even with good intentions, check whether the moment is right. A pure heart and a good sense of timing tend to let blessings reach you.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 2 of 25 Innocence, which stays still
Doing your work without thinking about what you'll get from it is the way to succeed.
Not plowing with the harvest in mind, not clearing land with the ripe field in mind: then it is favorable to have somewhere to go.
- Line 3 of 25 Innocence, which stays still
Watch and act at the right time, because a good deed done at the wrong moment turns out badly.
An undeserved calamity: someone tied up an ox; the traveler takes it, and the calamity falls on the villagers.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 5 of 2 Passivity
Right now success depends on acting with reserve. Your light shines from within.
A yellow skirt. Great good fortune.
- Line 6 of 2 Passivity
It's not the time to lead; it's the time to follow. Trying to take a leading position now will bring retaliation on you that affects everyone.
Dragons fight in the open country. Their blood is dark and yellow.
- The judgment of 25 Innocence
If you act with a pure heart, free of hidden motives and without straying from what is right, true to original human nature, you'll let the blessings of heaven reach you. Otherwise you'll meet obstacles and your affairs will become difficult.
Great success. Constancy is favorable. If it is not upright, there is calamity. It is not favorable to have somewhere to go.
The trigrams
The way back
25 Innocence → 2 Passivitylines 1, 4, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Passivity
- 34Great Manifestationlines 1, 2, 3, and 4
- 5Inactionlines 1, 2, 3, and 5
- 58Inner Peacelines 1, 2, 4, and 5
- 49Renewallines 1, 3, 4, and 5
- 28Excesseslines 2, 3, 4, and 5
- 26Great Achievementslines 1, 2, 3, and 6
- 38Oppositeslines 1, 2, 4, and 6
- 30The Flamelines 1, 3, 4, and 6
- 50The Vessel of Nourishmentlines 2, 3, 4, and 6
- 61Inner Integritylines 1, 2, 5, and 6
- 37The Tribelines 1, 3, 5, and 6
- 57Gentlenesslines 2, 3, 5, and 6
- 6Conflictlines 2, 4, 5, and 6
- 33Leaving Behindlines 3, 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.