What this change means
Dragons fight in the open country, and their blood is dark and yellow: only the top line moves, and a mountain rises from the Earth. Everything turns on this line. It's not the time to lead, it says, but to follow; reaching for a leading role now would bring retaliation that hurts everyone. The resulting hexagram, 23 The Fall, describes the climate. Obstacles mount, your words may not be believed even when you're right, and people who misuse power may be on the rise. Trying to fight them for the top position is exactly the battle to avoid. Step back. Don't push ahead. Be generous toward those who depend on you, and keep your own house secure. This time tends to pass, and those who didn't join the fight are usually still standing.
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.
- 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 23 The Fall
It's a time of obstacles and difficulties when, even if you're right, your words aren't believed. Lesser people who misuse power are on the rise, and you could become their victim. Recognizing this time without trying to push ahead, and being generous and giving toward those beneath you, will help you hold on while circumstances change.
It is not favorable to have somewhere to go.
The trigrams
The way back
23 The Fall → 2 Passivityline 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.