Transformation · line 4
Leaving Behind becomes Gradual Progress
What this change means
The fourth line asks for a retreat with affection: leaving without clinging, without regret, and with the sense that it's the right thing. If you walk away but keep grieving, part of you stays behind, and you won't be open to what's new. For someone who can let go with a clear heart, this is a good moment; for someone who can't, it isn't. Heaven above turns to Wind, a tree growing on the mountain, and the resulting hexagram, 53 Gradual Progress, shows where this leads. Progress will come, but step by step, through stages that make it stable. Trying to speed it up brings delays. So close this chapter warmly, don't keep looking back, and then climb one rung at a time. The calm way you leave is what makes the slow rise possible.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- 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.
- 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 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
The way back
53 Gradual Progress → 33 Leaving Behindline 4
Other transformations of Leaving Behind
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.