What this change means
The top line moves, the last firm line left in the figure, and it holds the image of a great fruit left uneaten: the noble person gains a carriage, while the petty one loses even their hut. Little by little, the line says, adverse situations give way, and adversity turns into opportunity. What survives the stripping becomes the seed of what comes next. The upper Mountain then softens into Earth, and the figure becomes 2 Passivity, earth spread out and yielding. That sets the tone for the turn. Don't seize the initiative just because things are improving. Let others guide where that's wise, keep at your projects patiently, and carry people with the depth of your character. The opportunity is real, but it ripens through receptiveness rather than through pushing.
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.
- 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 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 → 23 The Fallline 6
Other transformations of The Fall
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.