What this change means
The third line is the only solid line of Simplicity, and when it moves the Mountain dissolves into Earth, leaving ground over ground. This is the line of the noble person humble in toil. It speaks to you if you have position or some renown: staying humble despite it keeps rivalries from forming, and the work can reach its end in good fortune. The resulting hexagram, 2 Passivity, takes the idea further. It's not a time to seize the initiative but to let others guide you and keep at your projects patiently. For someone who carries weight, that can feel strange. Yet the change asks you to set down even the quiet authority you have and to let your effort speak instead of your standing. Work steadily, accept direction where it makes sense, and don't push for credit. That's how this toil tends to finish well.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 3 of 15 Simplicity
If, despite your position and fame, you stay humble, you won't create rivalries and you'll succeed.
A noble person humble in toil. Reaching the end: good fortune.
- 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 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 → 15 Simplicityline 3
Other transformations of Simplicity
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.