What this change means
Wind follows wind, below and above, when the second, fifth and top lines of Simplicity move. Here the starting judgment and the resulting one are read together: the first trusts that a fair, unpretentious life lets your worth come to light. The resulting hexagram, 57 Gentleness, says you can gain and succeed through softness now, not through big actions, pressure or force. Choose a path and stay on it; small steps accumulate, and support from those above you can help. These two share a temperament. Both trust slow, quiet influence over loud effort. If you've been tempted to push, step back and persist instead. Repeat your purpose, carry out the work, and let results build gradually. Even when progress is hard to see, steady gentle effort tends to reach further than a single forceful move.
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 15 Simplicity
This isn't the time to boast or show off. It's time to keep things simple and to make sure you act fairly; your qualities and talents will show on their own and be recognized.
Success. The noble person reaches the end.
- The judgment of 57 Gentleness
It's a time when you'll gain and succeed through gentleness. This isn't the time for big actions, or for using pressure or force. It's a time to choose a path and stay on it steadily. Even if you don't see much progress, success will show itself through the build-up of small actions and through seeking the support of those above you.
Small success. It is favorable to have somewhere to go. It is favorable to see the great person.
- Line 2 of 15 Simplicity
If you do things from the heart and with simplicity, you'll be recognized.
Humility that makes itself heard. Constancy brings good fortune.
- Line 5 of 15 Simplicity
If you hold a position of power, don't abuse it, but don't be careless about other people's mistakes either. It's time to observe and to take measured action.
Not rich, alongside the neighbors. It is favorable to attack and subdue. Nothing that is not favorable.
- Line 6 of 15 Simplicity
If situations come up that aren't right, your stance must be firm: take the actions needed to correct them.
Humility that makes itself heard. It is favorable to set the army in motion against the town and the country.
The trigrams
The way back
57 Gentleness → 15 Simplicitylines 2, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Simplicity
- 19Fleeting Successlines 1, 2, and 3
- 34Great Manifestationlines 1, 2, and 4
- 51Shocklines 1, 3, and 4
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 2, 3, and 4
- 5Inactionlines 1, 2, and 5
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 1, 3, and 5
- 29Waterlines 2, 3, and 5
- 49Renewallines 1, 4, and 5
- 28Excesseslines 2, 4, and 5
- 45Meetinglines 3, 4, and 5
- 26Great Achievementslines 1, 2, and 6
- 27Nourishmentlines 1, 3, and 6
- 4Immaturitylines 2, 3, and 6
- 30The Flamelines 1, 4, and 6
- 50The Vessel of Nourishmentlines 2, 4, and 6
- 35Advancelines 3, 4, and 6
- 37The Tribelines 1, 5, and 6
- 20Observinglines 3, 5, and 6
- 33Leaving Behindlines 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.