Transformation · lines 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6
Loss, Then Gain becomes Renewal
What this change means
Fire appears inside the lake, a shedding of skin, as every line but the third changes. That still line of 49 Renewal guides the reading: neither dragging things out nor rushing is right now; ask for signs, so you act at the right moment. The resulting hexagram invites you to open yourself to change, to weigh what needs to be transformed and what doesn't, and to let go of what no longer works so the new can arrive. After a hexagram devoted to setting right what was spoiled, this is the deeper step: not just repair, but renewal. Timing is everything. If you delay, the old ways reassert themselves. If you rush, the change won't take root. Watch for the signs, and when they come, let the old skin go.
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 49 Renewal, which stays still
Neither dragging things out nor acting in too much of a hurry is the right way to go about it now. Ask for signs, so you act at the right moment.
Setting out brings misfortune. Constancy is in danger. When word of the change has come round three times, there is sincere trust.
- 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.
- Line 1 of 18 Loss, Then Gain
The loss came from being too rigid and wanting to do things the traditional way. If you can be flexible and innovate, you'll succeed.
Setting right what the father spoiled. There is a son; the late father is left without fault. Danger; in the end, good fortune.
- Line 2 of 18 Loss, Then Gain
Your losses come from weakness, from not persevering. Reflecting and taking up the path again with resolve will bring success.
Setting right what the mother spoiled. Constancy will not do.
- Line 4 of 18 Loss, Then Gain
If you show a weak character and keep letting stronger personalities lead you, you won't succeed.
Indulging what the father spoiled. Going on: distress.
- Line 5 of 18 Loss, Then Gain
If you're aware of your weaknesses and vulnerable spots and look for helpers to support you there, you'll gain success and recognition.
Setting right what the father spoiled. It wins praise.
- Line 6 of 18 Loss, Then Gain
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.
- The judgment of 49 Renewal
You're in a time of renewal, like shedding a skin. Open yourself to change and to new ways of doing things. Success lies in taking each step at exactly the right moment, and in weighing what needs to change and what doesn't, what is no longer doing its job. Don't be afraid to let it go: you need to make room for the new to arrive.
When the day has come, there is trust. Great success. Constancy is favorable. Regret vanishes.
The trigrams
The way back
49 Renewal → 18 Loss, Then Gainlines 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Loss, Then Gain
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.