Transformation · line 5
Initial Obstacles becomes Coming Back
What this change means
Holding back its richness: the fifth line moves, and the water above turns into earth, quiet ground over stirring thunder. This line asks for caution, step by step, with no rush. In small matters, steady effort brings good fortune; in large ones, even steady effort can go wrong right now. So keep your plans modest and your progress gradual, and don't spend all your resources at once.
The resulting hexagram, 24 Coming Back, shows why this patience makes sense. After a period of difficulty, a return begins. People will come to help, and your projects tend to be favored. But the return holds only if you remember the mistakes that led you into trouble; repeating them could bring you down again. Watch for the urge to celebrate early with a big move. Let the recovery grow from small, careful steps, and it can carry you much further.
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.
- 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 24 Coming Back
After a period of adversity and darkness, the return comes. Still, be aware of the mistakes that led you into the dark, because if you repeat them you could fall again. People will come to help you, and your undertakings and projects will be favored.
Success. Going out and coming in without harm; friends arrive, no fault. Back and forth along its way: in seven days comes the return. It is favorable to have somewhere to go.
The trigrams
The way back
24 Coming Back → 3 Initial Obstaclesline 5
Other transformations of Initial Obstacles
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.