What this change means
Water spreads across the Earth as the third, fourth and top lines move, and a time of separation turns toward joining. Both judgments carry the same weight. The starting one counts your distance from draining people as useful: you rest, you see more clearly, and you lose only what wasn't helping. The resulting hexagram, 8 Union, shows where to put that regained strength. Success lies in joining with people who share your aims and support you. It also matters that you have what's needed to carry the project yourself; it's worth asking honestly whether you do. Leave behind the ties that drained you, then seek out the ones that hold you up, and bring your own full share to them.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- The judgment of 33 Leaving Behind
Leaving a path behind or stepping back right now isn't a bad thing. On the contrary, it will help you recover your strength and think carefully about the situation and how to set it right. Sometimes what looks like a loss turns into a gain, if you can let go of what isn't good for you and then pick up again in the right direction.
Success. In small things, constancy is favorable.
- The judgment of 8 Union
Right now success lies in joining with people who are aligned with your project and who are a support for you. But it's important that you, too, have the qualities needed to carry it out; that's why you can toss the coins once more to find out whether you have those qualities.
Good fortune. Consult the oracle again: great and lasting constancy. No fault. The restless come from every side. The one who comes late: misfortune.
- Line 3 of 33 Leaving Behind
If, just as you're leaving something behind, you still let circumstances tempt you to stay, you'll need to find allies to make even a little progress.
A tethered retreat. There is sickness, danger. Keeping servants and maids: good fortune.
- Line 4 of 33 Leaving Behind
You need to leave this road behind without clinging and without regret, sure that it's the right thing. Otherwise, even if you let go, a grieving heart will keep you from opening up to what's new.
A retreat with affection. For the noble person, good fortune; for the petty person, not so.
- Line 6 of 33 Leaving Behind
You're in the right position to leave behind what has run its course. You can do it knowing it's right and without mourning the loss, and this will bring you great success.
A retreat at ease. Nothing that is not favorable.
The trigrams
The way back
8 Union → 33 Leaving Behindlines 3, 4, and 6
Other transformations of Leaving Behind
- 10Treading Carefullylines 1, 2, and 3
- 9Small Thingslines 1, 2, and 4
- 42Increaselines 1, 3, and 4
- 59Release from Obstacleslines 2, 3, and 4
- 14Wealthlines 1, 2, and 5
- 21Bitinglines 1, 3, and 5
- 64Transitionlines 2, 3, and 5
- 22Good Mannerslines 1, 4, and 5
- 18Loss, Then Gainlines 2, 4, and 5
- 23The Falllines 3, 4, and 5
- 43Overflowinglines 1, 2, and 6
- 17Adaptinglines 1, 3, and 6
- 47Overwhelmedlines 2, 3, and 6
- 63After the Endlines 1, 4, and 6
- 48Right Actionlines 2, 4, and 6
- 55Abundancelines 1, 5, and 6
- 32What Lastslines 2, 5, and 6
- 16Passionlines 3, 5, and 6
- 15Simplicitylines 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.