Transformation · lines 2, 4, 5, and 6

What Lasts becomes Gradual Progress

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

A tree grows slowly on the mountain: with the second, fourth, fifth and top lines changing, What Lasts becomes 53 Gradual Progress. You'll advance step by step, through stages that make your progress stable, and trying to speed things up brings delays. With four lines in motion, the guidance rests on the resulting hexagram's still lines. The first says your first steps may be slow, and inexperience may make it look as if you'll fail, so people will talk; there's nothing to fear. The third warns that hurrying instead of letting things unfold at their own pace will make your progress fail. This is duration in its purest form. Ignore the commentary, keep your pace, and climb one rung at a time. Patience now isn't a lack of ambition; it's how ambition takes root.

What to read, in order

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

  1. Line 1 of 53 Gradual Progress, which stays still

    Your first steps may be slow, and through lack of experience it may look at first as if you'll fail, so people will talk. Nothing to fear.

    The wild goose moves by degrees to the shore. The young one is in danger; there is talk. No fault.

  2. Line 3 of 53 Gradual Progress, which stays still

    If you don't let things unfold at their own pace and try to hurry them, your progress will fail.

    The wild goose moves by degrees to the high plain. The husband marches off and does not return; the wife conceives and does not give birth. Misfortune. It is favorable to fend off raiders.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Line 5 of 32 What Lasts

    Right now your achievements will depend on your ability to be bold and open yourself to new paths.

    Making one's virtue last, with constancy. For the wife, good fortune; for the husband, misfortune.

  7. Line 6 of 32 What Lasts

    If you're always acting without giving yourself time to reflect and rest, you'll end up exhausted and stuck.

    Shaking duration. Misfortune.

  8. The judgment of 53 Gradual Progress

    You'll make progress, and it will come step by step, gradually, through stages that make it lasting and stable. Trying to speed things up will bring delays and obstacles. Keep at it, one rung at a time.

    The woman goes to be married: good fortune. Constancy is favorable.

The trigrams

Below Wind Mountain
Above Thunder Wind

The way back

53 Gradual Progress → 32 What Lasts
lines 2, 4, 5, and 6

Other transformations of What Lasts

Make your own cast

The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.

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