Transformation · lines 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Good Manners becomes Conflict
What this change means
Only the top line stays still as Good Manners becomes 6 Conflict, and that line of the resulting hexagram holds the reading: insisting on being right now will only make you lose. Five lines change, so the situation has moved a long way from simple courtesy. Heaven and water go opposite ways; a dispute is forming that action can't settle. The resulting hexagram says cleverness works better than force, and that seeking advice from someone wise, and letting events run their course, helps you out. Here good manners become strategy. Don't press your case, however sure you are. Step back from the argument, stay civil, and look for a way out rather than a victory. Being right matters less than being free of the conflict.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 6 of 6 Conflict, which stays still
Insisting on being right at this moment will only make you lose.
Perhaps a belt of honor is bestowed; before the morning is out, it is stripped away three times.
- 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.
- Line 1 of 22 Good Manners
Success in everyday matters now depends on using the resources that are yours, and no more.
Adorning the feet; leaving the carriage and going on foot.
- Line 2 of 22 Good Manners
Pay attention to what is essential; combining it with good manners will bring you achievement.
Adorning the beard.
- Line 3 of 22 Good Manners
When well-being surrounds you, don't relax too much and lose yourself in it.
Adorned, as if soaked through. Lasting constancy brings good fortune.
- Line 4 of 22 Good Manners
A time of great well-being is coming, and you can allow yourself to enjoy it.
Adorned and white; a white horse as if on wings. Not a raider: one who comes to ask for marriage.
- Line 5 of 22 Good Manners
Your genuine inner attitude, small as it may seem to you, is welcomed and accepted in higher circles.
Adornment on the hill and in the garden. The roll of silk is meager. Distress; in the end, good fortune.
- The judgment of 6 Conflict
A conflict is arising that can't be solved by action; cleverness works better than force. Recognizing that you can't resolve anything right now, letting events take their course, and seeking the advice of someone wise in this area will help you get out of the conflict.
There is sincere trust, but it is blocked. Caution: stopping halfway brings good fortune; going all the way to the end, misfortune. It is favorable to see the great person. It is not favorable to cross the great river.
The trigrams
The way back
6 Conflict → 22 Good Mannerslines 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Other transformations of Good Manners
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.