Transformation · lines 1, 2, 3, and 4
What Lasts becomes Coming Back
What this change means
Four lines change, from the first to the fourth, and thunder now stirs inside the earth: What Lasts becomes 24 Coming Back. After a dark stretch, a return begins, with help arriving and projects favored, so long as you don't repeat the mistakes that led you astray. With four moving lines, the reading turns to the resulting hexagram's two still lines. The fifth says that acting without delay, owning past mistakes and correcting them, leads to success. The top line warns that letting chances slip and failing to act when the time is right makes things hard to repair, and new options may take a while to appear. So this is no time to wait. Name what went wrong, fix it promptly, and step through the opening while it's here.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 5 of 24 Coming Back, which stays still
Acting without delay, recognizing past mistakes and correcting them, will lead you to sure success.
A generous return. No regret.
- Line 6 of 24 Coming Back, which stays still
If you let opportunities slip by and don't act at the right moment, it will no longer be possible to put things back in order, and you'll have to wait for new options to appear, which may take some time.
A lost return. Misfortune; there is calamity and ruin. If armies are set marching, in the end there will be a great defeat that reaches the ruler of the country. Misfortune. Not for ten years can a campaign be undertaken.
- The judgment of 32 What Lasts
This moment asks you for action, not stillness. It asks you to have clear goals to head toward and to act in line with them. That way you'll achieve things, and your achievements will keep growing and will last.
Success. No fault. Constancy is favorable. It is favorable to have somewhere to go.
- Line 1 of 32 What Lasts
Don't expect extraordinary achievements when you're only just starting to move in the right direction.
Digging deep into duration. Even with constancy, misfortune. Nothing is favorable.
- Line 2 of 32 What Lasts
Right now your enthusiasm and passion are greater than outside circumstances. Staying that way will gradually overcome the stillness and move you toward success.
Regret vanishes.
- Line 3 of 32 What Lasts
If you let outside circumstances grow bigger than your dreams and projects, they'll end up gaining power over you.
Not making one's virtue last; perhaps shame will follow. Constancy brings distress.
- Line 4 of 32 What Lasts
Motivation and enthusiasm aren't all you need to achieve something; you also need to find the places where those dreams can flourish.
No game in the field.
- 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 → 32 What Lastslines 1, 2, 3, and 4
Other transformations of What Lasts
- 17Adaptinglines 1, 2, 3, and 5
- 63After the Endlines 1, 2, 4, and 5
- 60Thriftlines 1, 3, 4, and 5
- 8Unionlines 2, 3, 4, and 5
- 21Bitinglines 1, 2, 3, and 6
- 22Good Mannerslines 1, 2, 4, and 6
- 41Decreaselines 1, 3, 4, and 6
- 23The Falllines 2, 3, 4, and 6
- 13Gathering with Equalslines 1, 2, 5, and 6
- 10Treading Carefullylines 1, 3, 5, and 6
- 12Declinelines 2, 3, 5, and 6
- 9Small Thingslines 1, 4, 5, and 6
- 53Gradual Progresslines 2, 4, 5, and 6
- 59Release from Obstacleslines 3, 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.