What this change means
Here the third line moves, and the lower Water becomes Wind, gentle and searching where there was only current. This is the most dangerous spot in the pit: coming or going, there's a hollow either way, and the depth only increases. The line's advice is plain. Stop. Watch. Act only when you're sure the step forward leads somewhere, and ask for inner guidance before you move. In 48 Right Action, the resulting hexagram, you find why waiting isn't the same as wasting time: opportunities may be on your side, but only if you use what you already have instead of putting decisions off forever or hunting for something new. So the pause this line asks for has a limit. Hold still while the danger is deep, get clear inside, and then make use of the resources in front of you. Postponing without end turns a wise stop into a loss.
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 29 Water
It's time to stop, watch and act only when you're sure that moving forward will lead to success. Ask for inner guidance.
Coming and going: pit and pit. Danger, and depth besides. Entering the bottom of the pit. Do not act.
- The judgment of 29 Water
Just as a stream moves through obstacles and gets past them, following its course without stagnating, you're at a time when obstacles will come one after another, but you'll get past them if you can keep moving. Letting fear paralyze you will only leave you stuck.
There is sincere trust. Only the heart gets through. Going earns esteem.
- The judgment of 48 Right Action
You're at a moment when opportunities are on your side. But if you don't know how to use them because you keep putting off decisions and actions, being in the right place at the right time won't do you any good. It's not about looking for new things but about making use of what you have, or there will be loss.
The town is changed, the well is not. Nothing lost, nothing gained. They come and go, and draw from the well. Nearly there, the rope does not yet reach the well; if the jar breaks, misfortune.
The trigrams
The way back
48 Right Action → 29 Waterline 3
Other transformations of Water
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.