What this change means
A mountain rises under the water as the third line moves, and the easy gathering turns into a steep, slow climb. This line is the warning at the center. It says you may tend to choose badly the people you join with, and asks you to avoid shallow alliances that won't bear good fruit. The old line is blunt: joining with those who aren't the right ones.
The resulting hexagram, 39 Held Back, describes advancing only to be blocked again, so that you have to stop, step back, and seek people of like mind who can support you; that way the obstacles fall one at a time. The link between the two is clear. Much of the difficulty may come from the company you keep. Review your partnerships honestly and keep the ones that are real. Watch for agreeing to an alliance just because it's available.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 3 of 8 Union
You tend to choose badly the people you join with. Avoid shallow alliances that won't bear good fruit.
Joining with those who are not the right ones.
- The judgment of 8 Union
Right now success lies in joining with people who are aligned with your project and who are a support for you. But it's important that you, too, have the qualities needed to carry it out; that's why you can toss the coins once more to find out whether you have those qualities.
Good fortune. Consult the oracle again: great and lasting constancy. No fault. The restless come from every side. The one who comes late: misfortune.
- The judgment of 39 Held Back
Every time you advance, something blocks you, forcing you to stop, step back, and look for help from like-minded people who give you their support. That way you'll get past the obstacles one by one until the final victory.
The southwest is favorable; the northeast is not. It is favorable to see the great person. Constancy brings good fortune.
The trigrams
The way back
39 Held Back → 8 Unionline 3
Other transformations of Union
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.