Transformation · lines 1 and 5
Initial Obstacles becomes Passivity
What this change means
Earth over earth: with the first and fifth lines moving, both the thunder and the water fall silent, and the whole figure becomes open, yielding ground. The fifth line leads. It holds back its richness and asks you to advance carefully, step by step; small efforts go well now, while big ones tend to misfire. The first line agrees from the base: don't force the path, stay steady, and let trusted people do the acting for you.
The resulting hexagram, 2 Passivity, completes the picture. This is not the moment to take the initiative. Others can show the way, and your part is to keep working at what you've started, patiently, the way the earth carries everything without hurrying. That can feel uncomfortable if you're used to leading. Watch for restlessness disguised as ambition. Receiving, supporting and persisting quietly are the real strengths of this passage.
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 3 Initial Obstacles
Act with caution, step by step, without rushing.
Holding back its richness. In small things, constancy brings good fortune; in great things, even with constancy, misfortune.
- Line 1 of 3 Initial Obstacles
It's time to let others act for you.
Hesitating, circling by the rock. Abiding in constancy is favorable. It is favorable to install lords.
- 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 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 trigrams
The way back
2 Passivity → 3 Initial Obstacleslines 1 and 5
Other transformations of Initial Obstacles
- 29Waterlines 1 and 2
- 39Held Backlines 1 and 3
- 5Inactionlines 2 and 3
- 45Meetinglines 1 and 4
- 58Inner Peacelines 2 and 4
- 49Renewallines 3 and 4
- 19Fleeting Successlines 2 and 5
- 36Darknesslines 3 and 5
- 51Shocklines 4 and 5
- 20Observinglines 1 and 6
- 61Inner Integritylines 2 and 6
- 37The Tribelines 3 and 6
- 25Innocencelines 4 and 6
- 27Nourishmentlines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.