Transformation · lines 3, 4, and 6

Great Manifestation becomes Decrease

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

A lake lies at the foot of the Mountain as the third, fourth and top lines move. Both judgments speak with equal weight. The starting one says you have the strength for great achievements, as long as you remain active, persevere, and let thought and action work together. The resulting hexagram, 41 Decrease, asks for moderation and saving. Conserve your resources and energy, avoid excess of every kind, and prepare; a period of growth will follow, and big projects with it. That combination is about pacing. Strength isn't diminished by restraint; it's stored. Hold back anger and appetite, spend less than you could, and build the reserves you'll need when the larger work begins. What you don't spend now is what you'll have later.

What to read, in order

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

  1. The judgment of 34 Great Manifestation

    You have what it takes to carry out big projects and achieve extraordinary things. Still, you need to stay active and keep persevering. Thinking and acting in harmony will keep you holding to what is right and will make your achievements last.

    Constancy is favorable.

  2. The judgment of 41 Decrease

    It's a time for moderation and saving: conserving your resources and energy matters a great deal now. A period of growth will follow, but for now you need to stay aware and avoid excess of every kind while you get ready to take on big projects.

    There is sincere trust. Great good fortune. No fault. Constancy is possible. It is favorable to have somewhere to go. What to offer? Two bowls will do for the offering.

  3. Line 3 of 34 Great Manifestation

    If you show off your power and your achievements right now, you'll draw hostile looks and bad situations your way.

    The petty person uses strength; the noble person does not. Constancy is in danger. A ram butts the fence and tangles its horns.

  4. Line 4 of 34 Great Manifestation

    Adverse circumstances give way before your persistence. If you rely on your inner power, you'll be able to move toward great achievements.

    Constancy brings good fortune. Regret vanishes. The fence gives way, and nothing tangles. Strength in the axle of the great cart.

  5. Line 6 of 34 Great Manifestation

    If you push ahead without thinking and without taking in feedback, you reach a point that becomes a wall and blocks your way. Being aware of this before you go too far will let you change course.

    A ram butts the fence: it can't go back, it can't go on. Nothing is favorable. Taking on the hardship: good fortune.

The trigrams

Below Heaven Lake

The way back

41 Decrease → 34 Great Manifestation
lines 3, 4, and 6

Other transformations of Great Manifestation

Make your own cast

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

Toss the coins