Transformation · lines 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6
Small Things becomes Passivity
What this change means
Five lines move and the figure empties into pure Earth, with only the fourth line unchanged. That still line in 2 Passivity carries the message: keeping clear of the noise and out of view serves your aims better than any push. It's a striking change. Small Things already counseled small steps and patience, and now even those quiet efforts give way to receptivity. This isn't the time to take the initiative. Let others lead for now, and keep working on your projects with patience rather than pressure. So step back from the spotlight. Keep your plans to yourself, follow good guidance where it comes, and let your work progress without fanfare. Influence here comes from steadiness and discretion. The less you try to be seen, the more freely things can move in your favor.
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 2 Passivity, which stays still
Staying away from the noise, out of sight, is the best way to get what you want.
A bag tied at the neck. No fault, no praise.
- The judgment of 9 Small Things
You're facing a situation that promises success, but it isn't time yet. There are still obstacles on the way that you need to resolve. For now you can take small actions and wait for the right moment to act on a large scale.
Success. Dense clouds and no rain, from my western outskirts.
- Line 1 of 9 Small Things
What's called for now is to fall back to situations where you have more control. This isn't a loss: it's a smart move.
Returning by its own way. What fault could there be? Good fortune.
- Line 2 of 9 Small Things
Even though circumstances push you to advance, for now it's time to go back and prepare to act at a better moment.
Led back. Good fortune.
- Line 3 of 9 Small Things
Trying to advance at any cost only brings bigger obstacles from outside.
The spokes come loose from the cart. Husband and wife glare at each other.
- Line 5 of 9 Small Things
Allying with others and being loyal in that alliance will bring success.
There is sincere trust, bound together as by a cord. Growing rich alongside the neighbor.
- Line 6 of 9 Small Things
You get what you want thanks to step-by-step work. Still, don't rest on your laurels: you have to stay constant and keep working little by little.
The rain has come, the rest has come. Virtue has piled up like a load. The wife's constancy is in danger. The moon is nearly full. For the noble person, setting out brings misfortune.
- The judgment of 2 Passivity
This is not the time to take the initiative to achieve things. It's better to let others guide you and to keep at your projects with patience.
Great success. The constancy of a mare is favorable. The noble person has somewhere to go: going ahead, they lose the way; following behind, they find someone to guide them. It is favorable to find friends in the southwest and to lose them in the northeast. Calm constancy brings good fortune.
The trigrams
The way back
2 Passivity → 9 Small Thingslines 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Small Things
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.