Transformation · lines 1, 2, 4, and 5

Gathering with Equals becomes Loss, Then Gain

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

Wind blows below the mountain as four lines move and the fellowship turns to repair. In 18 Loss, Then Gain, read the two still lines. The third says past rigidity has caused loss, and clinging to that rigidity to fix things won't work. The top line says that high goals beyond personal interest can carry you to success. So something in the community has decayed, likely through stubbornness, and the way back is neither more stubbornness nor giving up. Loosen your grip on how things must be done. Then lift your sights: ask what the shared work is really for, beyond what each person gets out of it. Corrections made in that spirit, and given time to take effect, tend to bring the group back to health.

What to read, in order

Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.

  1. Line 3 of 18 Loss, Then Gain, which stays still

    Acting too rigidly in the past has led you to loss, but holding on to that rigidity to fix it won't help either.

    Setting right what the father spoiled. A little regret; no great fault.

  2. Line 6 of 18 Loss, Then Gain, which stays still

    If you have high goals, beyond purely personal interests, and let them drive you, you'll succeed.

    Serving neither kings nor lords; holding one's own work high.

  3. The judgment of 13 Gathering with Equals

    It's a time of meetings with people of a high nature like yours, with whom you can carry out important tasks and projects. Relationships built on trust and mutual support take shape. Large, innovative projects are favored.

    Community in the open country. Success. It is favorable to cross the great river. The constancy of the noble person is favorable.

  4. Line 1 of 13 Gathering with Equals

    Shared projects should be carried out in the open, with nothing hidden.

    Community at the gate. No fault.

  5. Line 2 of 13 Gathering with Equals

    If you join with people who try to exclude others, the projects won't move forward.

    Community within the clan. Distress.

  6. Line 4 of 13 Gathering with Equals

    Despite the differences, if you reach agreements, trust will come back little by little.

    Climbing up on the wall, yet unable to attack. Good fortune.

  7. Line 5 of 13 Gathering with Equals

    The big differences seem impossible to bridge; still, with patience and a willing heart, union returns.

    Community: first wailing and cries, then laughter. The great armies manage to meet.

  8. The judgment of 18 Loss, Then Gain

    You've made mistakes that have brought you into decline; still, admitting it and making the corrections needed will lead you back to success. Take time to reflect on what caused the loss and, once you've acted, give success time to arrive.

    Great success. It is favorable to cross the great river. Three days before the first day, three days after the first day.

The trigrams

Below Fire Wind
Above Heaven Mountain

The way back

18 Loss, Then Gain → 13 Gathering with Equals
lines 1, 2, 4, and 5

Other transformations of Gathering with Equals

Make your own cast

The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.

Toss the coins