Transformation · lines 1 and 5
Passivity becomes Initial Obstacles
What this change means
Clouds and thunder gather as the first and fifth lines move: something is being born, and it's tangled. The fifth leads with the yellow skirt, the sign of modest dignity: success comes through restraint. The first adds frost underfoot, a warning to take precautions before small problems harden. The resulting hexagram, 3 Initial Obstacles, says direct action is the wrong tool for now. Find allies who can stand in for you and represent your interests, and stay alert for when it's time to take back the initiative. So hold your position modestly at the center. Let trusted others handle the front line. Watch for the early signs of trouble and deal with them while they're small. A difficult beginning tends to sort itself into order when it's met with patience and quiet care.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- 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 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 3 Initial Obstacles
This isn't the time to act directly: look for people who can act for you, allies who represent you. Still, stay alert so you know when the time comes to take back the initiative and control.
Great success. Constancy is favorable. Having somewhere to go is of no use yet. It is favorable to install lords.
The trigrams
The way back
3 Initial Obstacles → 2 Passivitylines 1 and 5
Other transformations of Passivity
- 19Fleeting Successlines 1 and 2
- 36Darknesslines 1 and 3
- 46Going Uplines 2 and 3
- 51Shocklines 1 and 4
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 2 and 4
- 62Success in Small Matterslines 3 and 4
- 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.