What this change means
Five lines move and only the top stays still: water and earth become fire under a lake, and the old campaign is shed like a skin. The reading rests on that unmoving top line. It asks you to look honestly at which changes are possible under present conditions, and to hold back one that's too ambitious until the time is better.
The resulting hexagram, 49 Renewal, describes a time for change and new ways of working, where success comes from taking each step at the right moment and weighing what truly needs to go. Coming from 7 The Army, that renewal still needs discipline. Organize the change, choose the part that's realistic now, and let the rest mature. Watch for a sweeping overhaul that outruns your resources. Measured, well-timed renewal tends to hold; rushed revolutions tend not to.
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 49 Renewal, which stays still
Take stock of the changes you can actually make now, given the circumstances. A change that's too ambitious has to wait for a better time.
The noble person changes like the leopard; the petty person changes face. Setting out brings misfortune. Abiding in constancy brings good fortune.
- The judgment of 7 The Army
Whatever your question, the favorable answer comes from acting with discipline and organization: face the situation head-on and speak clearly, say what you want, without trying to impose it.
The constancy of a seasoned leader brings good fortune. No fault.
- Line 1 of 7 The Army
There has to be a just cause for you to move in the direction you want.
The army sets out under discipline. Without good order: misfortune.
- Line 2 of 7 The Army
Keep up your activity and discipline to reach what you want, and you'll get it.
In the midst of the army: good fortune. No fault. Three times the king bestows his charge.
- Line 3 of 7 The Army
If you don't keep up the conditions needed for success and you slacken in your task, there will be misfortune.
Perhaps the army hauls corpses on its carts. Misfortune.
- Line 4 of 7 The Army
If you feel you don't have enough in place to succeed, it's better to pull back and wait for a better moment to act again.
The army withdraws and makes camp. No fault.
- Line 5 of 7 The Army
Choosing the situations you're able to face will keep you out of useless fights.
There is game in the field. It is favorable to seize it. No fault. The eldest son leads the army; the younger son hauls corpses. Even with constancy, misfortune.
- The judgment of 49 Renewal
You're in a time of renewal, like shedding a skin. Open yourself to change and to new ways of doing things. Success lies in taking each step at exactly the right moment, and in weighing what needs to change and what doesn't, what is no longer doing its job. Don't be afraid to let it go: you need to make room for the new to arrive.
When the day has come, there is trust. Great success. Constancy is favorable. Regret vanishes.
The trigrams
The way back
49 Renewal → 7 The Armylines 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Other transformations of The Army
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.