Transformation · lines 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Opposites becomes After the End
What this change means
Fire over the lake turns to water over fire as five lines move, from the second to the top, and the figure becomes 63 After the End. The first line, unchanged, leads. It says that trying to move ahead too fast brings no results, but stopping to wait for better conditions brings achievements. The resulting hexagram itself describes a passing success: things seem in your favor, and then a period of stagnation tends to follow, which you can soften by preparing ahead. So the opposition seems to be resolving, but don't rush to claim the win. Slow down. Let conditions ripen. Enjoy what goes well, and use it to prepare for the quieter period that may follow. Patience now protects what you've gained.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 1 of 63 After the End, which stays still
If you try to move ahead too fast, you won't get results. But if you can stop and wait for better conditions, there will be achievements.
Drags back on its wheels; wets its tail. No fault.
- 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 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 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?
- 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 63 After the End
You're in a situation where you'll have a passing success: everything seems to be in your favor, and at the end comes a period of stagnation. If you prepare for it ahead of time, you'll be able to soften its effects.
Success in small things. Constancy is favorable. At first, good fortune; in the end, disorder.
The trigrams
The way back
63 After the End → 38 Oppositeslines 2, 3, 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.