What this change means
A spring breaks out beneath a mountain as the second and top lines move. The top leads: this is a time to follow, not to lead, and pushing for the lead would draw retaliation that affects everyone. The second adds that quietly, without fuss, you can still succeed. The resulting hexagram, 4 Immaturity, explains why following is wise. You may not yet have the maturity needed for what you're after. Act with humility: ask for guidance, seek advice, and put what you're told into practice. So this isn't a defeat, it's a lesson. Let someone more experienced lead while you learn. Do your part plainly and well. The urge to take charge too early is the very thing to watch. Learning quietly now tends to prepare you to lead well later.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 4 Immaturity
Be aware that you don't yet have the maturity you need to reach what you're after in the area of your question. Act with humility: ask for guidance, seek advice and counsel, and put what you're told into practice.
Success. I do not go looking for the ignorant youth; the ignorant youth comes looking for me. The first time the oracle is asked, I answer. A second and a third asking is an offense, and an offense gets no answer. Constancy is favorable.
The trigrams
The way back
4 Immaturity → 2 Passivitylines 2 and 6
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
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 1 and 5
- 29Waterlines 2 and 5
- 39Held Backlines 3 and 5
- 45Meetinglines 4 and 5
- 27Nourishmentlines 1 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.