What this change means
Wind below and thunder above replace water and earth when the third and fourth lines move, and the campaign becomes a matter of endurance. The fourth line leads: if you don't have enough in place, pull back and wait for a better moment, which is no fault. The third line names the risk on the other side, which is letting the conditions for success slip and slackening in your task.
The resulting hexagram, 32 What Lasts, asks for action rather than stillness, with clear goals and conduct that matches them; that's how achievements grow and last. So pulling back here isn't giving up. It means regrouping so your effort can be sustained. Watch for confusing rest with neglect. Take the pause you need, but keep your goals in view and your standards high, so that when you move again you can keep going.
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 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 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.
- 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.
- The judgment of 32 What Lasts
This moment asks you for action, not stillness. It asks you to have clear goals to head toward and to act in line with them. That way you'll achieve things, and your achievements will keep growing and will last.
Success. No fault. Constancy is favorable. It is favorable to have somewhere to go.
The trigrams
The way back
32 What Lasts → 7 The Armylines 3 and 4
Other transformations of The Army
- 24Coming Backlines 1 and 2
- 11Well-Beinglines 1 and 3
- 15Simplicitylines 2 and 3
- 54A Subordinate Rolelines 1 and 4
- 16Passionlines 2 and 4
- 60Thriftlines 1 and 5
- 8Unionlines 2 and 5
- 48Right Actionlines 3 and 5
- 47Overwhelmedlines 4 and 5
- 41Decreaselines 1 and 6
- 23The Falllines 2 and 6
- 18Loss, Then Gainlines 3 and 6
- 64Transitionlines 4 and 6
- 59Release from Obstacleslines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.