What this change means
Thunder wakes beneath the earth as the first and top lines move, and The Fall becomes 24 Coming Back. The top line leads: the great fruit is left uneaten, and little by little adversity gives way and turns into opportunity. The first line recalls the start of the decline, when people in power undermined your footing and even slandered you, and you could only keep your inner strength and wait. The resulting hexagram names the turn directly: after a period of darkness, the return comes. People will come to help, and your projects tend to be favored. But it also warns you to understand the mistakes that led into the dark, because repeating them could bring you down again. Welcome the recovery, and learn from the fall before you move on.
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 23 The Fall
Little by little the adverse situations will give way, and gradually adversity will turn into opportunity.
A great fruit left uneaten. The noble person gains a carriage; the petty person's hut is stripped.
- Line 1 of 23 The Fall
Your enemies have the power now and use any means to damage your image, even slander. All you can do is keep your inner strength and wait for better times.
The bed is stripped at the legs. Constancy is destroyed: misfortune.
- The judgment of 23 The Fall
It's a time of obstacles and difficulties when, even if you're right, your words aren't believed. Lesser people who misuse power are on the rise, and you could become their victim. Recognizing this time without trying to push ahead, and being generous and giving toward those beneath you, will help you hold on while circumstances change.
It is not favorable to have somewhere to go.
- The judgment of 24 Coming Back
After a period of adversity and darkness, the return comes. Still, be aware of the mistakes that led you into the dark, because if you repeat them you could fall again. People will come to help you, and your undertakings and projects will be favored.
Success. Going out and coming in without harm; friends arrive, no fault. Back and forth along its way: in seven days comes the return. It is favorable to have somewhere to go.
The trigrams
The way back
24 Coming Back → 23 The Falllines 1 and 6
Other transformations of The Fall
- 41Decreaselines 1 and 2
- 22Good Mannerslines 1 and 3
- 18Loss, Then Gainlines 2 and 3
- 21Bitinglines 1 and 4
- 64Transitionlines 2 and 4
- 56The Travelerlines 3 and 4
- 42Increaselines 1 and 5
- 59Release from Obstacleslines 2 and 5
- 53Gradual Progresslines 3 and 5
- 12Declinelines 4 and 5
- 7The Armylines 2 and 6
- 15Simplicitylines 3 and 6
- 16Passionlines 4 and 6
- 8Unionlines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.