Transformation · lines 3, 4, and 6

Passivity becomes The Traveler

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

Fire on the mountain: three lines move, and the settled Earth becomes a road. Both judgments carry the reading equally. 2 Passivity asks you to let others guide you and to keep patiently at things. The resulting hexagram, 56 The Traveler, speaks of small achievements and a light, flexible attitude, perhaps unfamiliar places or circumstances you'll need to adjust to for a while. These fit well together. You're in unfamiliar territory, and it's no place to take charge. Be a gracious guest. Follow the customs of where you are, accept guidance from those who know the ground, and let go of attachments that weigh you down. Small gains are enough for now. Make good connections along the way. A receptive traveler tends to be welcomed where a demanding one is shown the door.

What to read, in order

Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.

  1. 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.

  2. The judgment of 56 The Traveler

    It's a time of small achievements. Keep a light, flexible attitude. You may be facing a period of change, new places or situations that ask you to adapt while they settle: let go of attachments and be gracious as you make new connections and your situation takes hold.

    Small success. For the traveler, constancy brings good fortune.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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 trigrams

Below Earth Mountain
Above Earth Fire

The way back

56 The Traveler → 2 Passivity
lines 3, 4, and 6

Other transformations of Passivity

Make your own cast

The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.

Toss the coins