What this change means
Wind follows wind when four lines move, the first, third, fourth and fifth, and the figure becomes 57 Gentleness. Its still lines lead. The second says you're being held back by forces you can't identify, and that it's wise to turn to people who, through their practices, can help you move forward. The top line warns that if you lose heart and drop your project for lack of visible results, you'll lose what you've gained. The resulting hexagram itself asks for gentle, steady persistence, small actions that accumulate, and support from those above you. So don't give up. The opposition may feel shapeless and hard to name. Ask for help from those who understand such things, and keep going quietly. Success, if it comes, will come from steady accumulation, not from a single push.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 2 of 57 Gentleness, which stays still
You're being held back by dark forces you can't identify. So it's wise to turn to people who, through magical practices, can help you move forward.
Yielding beneath the bed. Scribes and diviners are called in great numbers. Good fortune. No fault.
- Line 6 of 57 Gentleness, which stays still
If you lose heart and drop the project because you don't see results yet, you'll lose what you've gained.
Yielding beneath the bed. Loses goods and axe. Even with constancy, misfortune.
- 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 3 of 38 Opposites
Even if conditions turn against you and you're even attacked, staying true to yourself and to those you admire will lead you to success.
Sees the cart dragged back, the ox held fast; the driver, branded on the forehead, nose cut off. No beginning, but an end.
- 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?
- The judgment of 57 Gentleness
It's a time when you'll gain and succeed through gentleness. This isn't the time for big actions, or for using pressure or force. It's a time to choose a path and stay on it steadily. Even if you don't see much progress, success will show itself through the build-up of small actions and through seeking the support of those above you.
Small success. It is favorable to have somewhere to go. It is favorable to see the great person.
The trigrams
The way back
57 Gentleness → 38 Oppositeslines 1, 3, 4, and 5
Other transformations of Opposites
- 52Abidinglines 1, 2, 3, and 4
- 33Leaving Behindlines 1, 2, 3, and 5
- 20Observinglines 1, 2, 4, and 5
- 37The Tribelines 2, 3, 4, and 5
- 62Success in Small Matterslines 1, 2, 3, and 6
- 2Passivitylines 1, 2, 4, and 6
- 46Going Uplines 1, 3, 4, and 6
- 36Darknesslines 2, 3, 4, and 6
- 45Meetinglines 1, 2, 5, and 6
- 28Excesseslines 1, 3, 5, and 6
- 49Renewallines 2, 3, 5, and 6
- 29Waterlines 1, 4, 5, and 6
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 2, 4, 5, and 6
- 5Inactionlines 3, 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.