Transformation · lines 2, 3, 4, and 6
Passivity becomes The Vessel of Nourishment
What this change means
Fire above wood, the image of a cauldron: four lines move, and the open Earth becomes a vessel where something is cooking. Here the counsel comes from the first and fifth lines of the resulting hexagram, 50 The Vessel of Nourishment, the two that stay put. The first says the change will unfold in less than ideal conditions and still end well. The fifth says what you're made of will take you where you want to go, with nothing to prove. So don't wait for perfect circumstances. Let the change begin where you are. Keep the flame of your enthusiasm lit, and be clear about the resources you have. You don't need to argue your worth or push for recognition; it tends to show by itself. Change that cooks slowly tends to nourish well.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 1 of 50 The Vessel of Nourishment, which stays still
The change will happen under conditions that aren't ideal, but it will come to a good end.
The cauldron upended, feet in the air. It is favorable to tip out what has gone stale. A concubine is taken for the sake of her son. No fault.
- Line 5 of 50 The Vessel of Nourishment, which stays still
Your qualities will carry you to success without your having to prove anything. Naturally, everything will go your way.
The cauldron with yellow ears and a bar of gold. Constancy is favorable.
- 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 2 of 2 Passivity
Quietly, without a lot of fuss, you can succeed.
Straight, square, great. Without learning it, nothing that is not favorable.
- Line 3 of 2 Passivity
What you do with perseverance and without showing off will be appreciated and recognized.
Holding its brightness within; it can stay constant. If it serves in the king's affairs, no achievement of its own, but a good end.
- 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 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 50 The Vessel of Nourishment
It's a time of change and adjustment, and it will happen naturally, without great upheaval, the way food cooks. Keep the flame lit: it's the enthusiasm that gives you the strength to keep going. And be clear about the resources you have, the way a cook chooses the ingredients. The change will come about little by little.
Great good fortune. Success.
The trigrams
The way back
50 The Vessel of Nourishment → 2 Passivitylines 2, 3, 4, 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
- 61Inner Integritylines 1, 2, 5, and 6
- 37The Tribelines 1, 3, 5, and 6
- 57Gentlenesslines 2, 3, 5, and 6
- 25Innocencelines 1, 4, 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.