What this change means
Thunder below the mountain, the shape of an open mouth, forms as the second and fourth lines move: 27 Nourishment. The fourth line leads. By keeping to yourself in a time of opposition, you meet someone who is truly like you, and mutual trust takes hold. The second line supports it with a way in: arrange meetings with kindred people through skillful, perhaps informal, means. The resulting hexagram is about what feeds you and what you give. Take care of your body and spirit, take in what's good for you, and help others grow through your example. So the connections you make now should nourish both sides. Choose company that strengthens you, and bring something real to it. In a divided setting, a few trusted relationships, well tended, are worth more than many shallow ones.
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 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 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.
- 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.
- The judgment of 27 Nourishment
Right now you need to take care of your physical and spiritual nourishment, so you have the resources you need in each area, and at the same time help others grow through what you do. Success lies in giving and receiving: take in what is good for you and share it with those around you.
Constancy brings good fortune. Watching the jaws; seeking for oneself what fills the mouth.
The trigrams
The way back
27 Nourishment → 38 Oppositeslines 2 and 4
Other transformations of Opposites
- 35Advancelines 1 and 2
- 50The Vessel of Nourishmentlines 1 and 3
- 30The Flamelines 2 and 3
- 4Immaturitylines 1 and 4
- 26Great Achievementslines 3 and 4
- 6Conflictlines 1 and 5
- 25Innocencelines 2 and 5
- 1Activitylines 3 and 5
- 61Inner Integritylines 4 and 5
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 1 and 6
- 51Shocklines 2 and 6
- 34Great Manifestationlines 3 and 6
- 19Fleeting Successlines 4 and 6
- 58Inner Peacelines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.