What this change means
The first and fourth lines move, and both trigrams change: Heaven turns to Wind, Water to Lake, and the lake rises over the trees. The fourth line leads. You're in a painful spot, and any action now tends to make things worse; the way out of the pit comes by not struggling. The first line adds that you still have some control, as long as you keep a steady, relaxed pace and keep watching.
The resulting hexagram, 28 Excesses, describes a load heavy enough to threaten what you've built. It calls for extraordinary measures: checking and strengthening the foundations, and stepping out of your comfort zone. Put that beside the lines and the advice is to strengthen before you move. Shore up what holds your projects, inwardly and outwardly, while you refuse to act blindly. Watch for small cracks you've been ignoring.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 4 of 5 Inaction
Any kind of action will only make things worse.
Waiting in blood. Coming out of the pit.
- Line 1 of 5 Inaction
You still have control over the situation. It's time to act in a relaxed way, while keeping an eye on what's happening.
Waiting on the outskirts. It is favorable to hold steady. No fault.
- The judgment of 5 Inaction
It's time to wait, not to act. Waiting doesn't mean standing still, though: it's a good time to prepare for the active period that's coming. A calm, relaxed attitude will lead you to success: look at the conditions without lying to yourself, and stay alert so you know when it's time to act. Destiny follows its own course.
There is sincere trust. Shining success. Constancy brings good fortune. It is favorable to cross the great river.
- The judgment of 28 Excesses
You're in a situation that calls for extraordinary measures to keep what you've achieved from collapsing. Check and strengthen the foundations that hold up your projects, take innovative action and step out of your comfort zone. That way your success is assured; otherwise, loss can't be avoided.
The ridgepole sags. It is favorable to have somewhere to go. Success.
The trigrams
The way back
28 Excesses → 5 Inactionlines 1 and 4
Other transformations of Inaction
- 39Held Backlines 1 and 2
- 29Waterlines 1 and 3
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 2 and 3
- 49Renewallines 2 and 4
- 58Inner Peacelines 3 and 4
- 46Going Uplines 1 and 5
- 36Darknesslines 2 and 5
- 19Fleeting Successlines 3 and 5
- 34Great Manifestationlines 4 and 5
- 57Gentlenesslines 1 and 6
- 37The Tribelines 2 and 6
- 61Inner Integritylines 3 and 6
- 1Activitylines 4 and 6
- 26Great Achievementslines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.