Transformation · lines 1, 5, and 6

Good Manners becomes Held Back

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

Water on the mountain: when the first, fifth and top lines move, Good Manners becomes 39 Held Back. Both judgments weigh the same. The starting judgment favors kindness, polish and small daily tasks. Held Back describes advancing only to be blocked again and again, having to stop, step back, and seek help from like-minded people, until obstacles fall one by one. Together they recommend patience with grace. Each block is a chance to regroup, not to lose your temper. Ask for support politely, keep working on small matters, and accept that progress will be uneven. Turning inward to cultivate your own character is part of the work. Courtesy keeps allies willing to help while you get past one obstacle after another.

What to read, in order

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

  1. 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.

  2. The judgment of 39 Held Back

    Every time you advance, something blocks you, forcing you to stop, step back, and look for help from like-minded people who give you their support. That way you'll get past the obstacles one by one until the final victory.

    The southwest is favorable; the northeast is not. It is favorable to see the great person. Constancy brings good fortune.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. Line 6 of 22 Good Manners

    Your true worth isn't on the outside: it lies in the wonderful jewel that lives within you, and others will recognize it.

    White adornment. No fault.

The trigrams

Below Fire Mountain
Above Mountain Water

The way back

39 Held Back → 22 Good Manners
lines 1, 5, and 6

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.

Toss the coins