What this change means
The third and fourth lines move, and a lake comes to rest on a mountain: union turns into mutual attraction. The fourth line leads. Stay loyal to the people you've joined and let that loyalty be seen. The third line names the danger beside it: you may tend to choose the wrong partners, and alliances without depth won't bear fruit.
The resulting hexagram, 31 Attraction, says good results come as far as you stay open and receptive, letting people approach who will support you generously and without self-interest. So the reading asks for discernment inside openness. Be welcoming, but notice who comes close for real and who's just passing through. Keep faith with the first; don't bind yourself to the second. Watch for loyalty to people who haven't earned it. Openness and good judgment, together, let the right alliances form.
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 8 Union
Staying loyal to the people you ally with, and showing that alliance openly, helps you right now.
Joining outwardly. Constancy brings good fortune.
- 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 31 Attraction
You'll get good results to the extent that you stay open and receptive, which lets people come close who will support you and help you get there, generously and without self-interest.
Success. Constancy is favorable. Taking a wife brings good fortune.
The trigrams
The way back
31 Attraction → 8 Unionlines 3 and 4
Other transformations of Union
- 60Thriftlines 1 and 2
- 63After the Endlines 1 and 3
- 48Right Actionlines 2 and 3
- 17Adaptinglines 1 and 4
- 47Overwhelmedlines 2 and 4
- 24Coming Backlines 1 and 5
- 7The Armylines 2 and 5
- 15Simplicitylines 3 and 5
- 16Passionlines 4 and 5
- 42Increaselines 1 and 6
- 59Release from Obstacleslines 2 and 6
- 53Gradual Progresslines 3 and 6
- 12Declinelines 4 and 6
- 23The Falllines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.