What this change means
On the earth, water: five lines move, all but the third, and the figure becomes 8 Union. The third line, the one that holds still, leads. It warns that you tend to choose badly the people you join with, and asks you to avoid shallow alliances that won't bear good fruit. The resulting hexagram itself says the way forward is to ally with people who truly share your aims, while also making sure you have the qualities it takes. After a time of opposition, the urge to join anyone at all can be strong. Resist it. Look carefully at who you're bonding with and why. Choose depth over convenience. And check yourself too: are you ready to contribute? Good unions come from both sides bringing something real.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 3 of 8 Union, which stays still
You tend to choose badly the people you join with. Avoid shallow alliances that won't bear good fruit.
Joining with those who are not the right ones.
- The judgment of 38 Opposites
You're in a situation of opposition: the people around you are different from you, yet you need to share with them. This means that what you can achieve for now is small. Even so, don't give in. It matters that both you and they keep your own nature and contribute from there to a shared project.
In small matters, good fortune.
- Line 1 of 38 Opposites
Don't try to join with anyone by force; it's important to recognize differences, however large. Even if someone close to you pulls away for a while, let them go: they'll come back on their own.
Regret vanishes. The horse is lost: do not chase it; it comes back by itself. Seeing wicked people: no fault.
- Line 2 of 38 Opposites
You can reach agreements with people like you whom you're not in touch with, using skillful means to bring those meetings about.
Meets their lord in a back lane. No fault.
- Line 4 of 38 Opposites
Keeping to yourself in this time of opposition will help you find people who are truly like you and achieve success.
Alone in opposition, meets a worthy man; they trust each other. Danger. No fault.
- Line 5 of 38 Opposites
In the midst of opposites you'll find someone loyal whom you won't recognize at first, but they'll come to you and support you.
Regret vanishes. Their clan bites into tender flesh. Going: what fault could there be?
- Line 6 of 38 Opposites
Isolation leads you into a moment of confusion where you don't recognize friends or allies; you're even about to attack them. But little by little the confusion clears, and joining with like-minded people will bring you success.
Alone in opposition: sees a pig covered in mud, a cart loaded with ghosts. First the bow is drawn; then it is set down. Not a raider: a wedding party. If on the way the rain comes, good fortune.
- 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.
The trigrams
The way back
8 Union → 38 Oppositeslines 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Opposites
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.