What this change means
Water lies on the mountain when the first, second and top lines move, and the path ahead turns steep. Three changing lines bring the two judgments into balance. Small Things promises success but says it isn't time yet; obstacles still have to be resolved, and small actions suit the wait. The resulting hexagram, 39 Held Back, describes a road where every advance is met by a block, so you have to halt, retreat a little and find support among people who think as you do. Getting past the obstacles one by one leads, in the end, to the final victory. Together the judgments describe a slow, uphill stretch. Don't take each block as a sign you've failed. It's the shape of this road. Turn back when you must, ask for support without embarrassment, and look inward between the steps. Progress will be piecemeal, yet each cleared obstacle counts.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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 trigrams
The way back
39 Held Back → 9 Small Thingslines 1, 2, and 6
Other transformations of Small Things
- 20Observinglines 1, 2, and 3
- 33Leaving Behindlines 1, 2, and 4
- 6Conflictlines 1, 3, and 4
- 25Innocencelines 2, 3, and 4
- 52Abidinglines 1, 2, and 5
- 4Immaturitylines 1, 3, and 5
- 27Nourishmentlines 2, 3, and 5
- 50The Vessel of Nourishmentlines 1, 4, and 5
- 30The Flamelines 2, 4, and 5
- 38Oppositeslines 3, 4, and 5
- 29Waterlines 1, 3, and 6
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 2, 3, and 6
- 28Excesseslines 1, 4, and 6
- 49Renewallines 2, 4, and 6
- 58Inner Peacelines 3, 4, and 6
- 46Going Uplines 1, 5, and 6
- 36Darknesslines 2, 5, and 6
- 19Fleeting Successlines 3, 5, and 6
- 34Great Manifestationlines 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.