What this change means
Fire glows at the foot of the Mountain as four lines move, the first, third, fourth and fifth, and Decline becomes 22 Good Manners. The two unmoving lines, the second and the top, give the advice. The second says to pay attention to what is essential and combine it with good manners; that pairing brings achievement. The top line says your true worth isn't on the surface but in the jewel inside you, and others will come to see it. The resulting hexagram favors kindness, courtesy and everyday matters over great undertakings. So as the stuck period gives way, the work is modest and refined. Treat people well. Handle ordinary business with care. Don't decorate empty things, and don't chase big projects yet. Keep the essential at the center, the courtesy around it, and trust that what's real in you will be recognized.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 2 of 22 Good Manners, which stays still
Pay attention to what is essential; combining it with good manners will bring you achievement.
Adorning the beard.
- Line 6 of 22 Good Manners, which stays still
Your true worth isn't on the outside: it lies in the wonderful jewel that lives within you, and others will recognize it.
White adornment. No fault.
- The judgment of 12 Decline
You're surrounded by adverse people and situations. Avoid getting involved with those people, no matter what they offer you. Circumstances aren't good for acting or making decisions; it's time to withdraw to a safe place and wait for conditions to change. It's time to keep a low profile.
Stagnation: these are not worthy people. The constancy of the noble person is not favorable. The great goes, the small comes.
- Line 1 of 12 Decline
If you recognize the decline and withdraw in time, warning others about it, you'll succeed later on.
The grass is pulled up, and its tangled roots come too, each with its clump. Constancy brings good fortune. Success.
- Line 3 of 12 Decline
Little by little things will improve; it's a matter of waiting patiently for justice to be done.
Embracing shame.
- Line 4 of 12 Decline
If you act genuinely and with inner integrity, you'll come out of any situation well and be rewarded.
There is a mandate. No fault. Companions share in the blessing.
- Line 5 of 12 Decline
The stagnation is ending, but you still need to act with caution until the situation is fully stable.
Stagnation comes to rest. For the great person, good fortune. “It may be lost, it may be lost”: tied to the leafy mulberry.
- The judgment of 22 Good Manners
It's a time to be kind and courteous and to use good manners with others if you want good results in what you undertake. What might seem superficial at another time leads you to success now. It's a time to handle everyday matters, not great undertakings.
Success. In small things, it is favorable to have somewhere to go.
The trigrams
The way back
22 Good Manners → 12 Declinelines 1, 3, 4, and 5
Other transformations of Decline
- 9Small Thingslines 1, 2, 3, and 4
- 14Wealthlines 1, 2, 3, and 5
- 41Decreaselines 1, 2, 4, and 5
- 18Loss, Then Gainlines 2, 3, 4, and 5
- 43Overflowinglines 1, 2, 3, and 6
- 60Thriftlines 1, 2, 4, and 6
- 63After the Endlines 1, 3, 4, and 6
- 48Right Actionlines 2, 3, 4, and 6
- 54A Subordinate Rolelines 1, 2, 5, and 6
- 55Abundancelines 1, 3, 5, and 6
- 32What Lastslines 2, 3, 5, and 6
- 24Coming Backlines 1, 4, 5, and 6
- 7The Armylines 2, 4, 5, and 6
- 15Simplicitylines 3, 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.