Transformation · lines 2 and 4

The Army becomes Passion

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

Thunder bursts out of the earth when the second and fourth lines move, and the disciplined camp fills with a new drive. The fourth line leads. If you don't yet have enough in place, step back and make camp; waiting for a better moment is no mistake. The second line supports it: sustained activity and discipline get you what you want, and steady service earns repeated trust.

The resulting hexagram, 16 Passion, describes a time of eager drive that you can pass on to others to win their help, enough to take on big projects. It adds a condition: for those ventures to last, you have to consider what the people working alongside you need. So the reading asks you to channel enthusiasm through patience and order. Gather your strength, look after your team, and launch when the ground is ready.

What to read, in order

Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. The judgment of 16 Passion

    A time of passionate drive toward action. You can pass this passion on to others to gain their help, which lets you take on big projects with resolve and optimism. For these ventures to succeed and last, you can't look after only your own interests; you also need to keep in mind the needs of the people working with you.

    It is favorable to install lords and set the army in motion.

The trigrams

Below Water Earth
Above Earth Thunder

The way back

16 Passion → 7 The Army
lines 2 and 4

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.

Toss the coins