Transformation · lines 3 and 4

Opposites becomes Great Achievements

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

Heaven held inside the mountain: lines three and four move, Lake becomes Heaven, Fire becomes Mountain, and the figure becomes 26 Great Achievements. The fourth line leads. Alone in a time of opposition, you meet a worthy person, and trust forms between you. The third line supports it: even if things turn against you and you're attacked, being true to yourself and to those you admire leads to success, though the start is rough. The resulting hexagram invites a bold step beyond your comfort zone, since you have the qualities needed for unusual actions to succeed. So hardship and solitude are preparing you for something bigger. Stay faithful to your values, trust the ally you've found, and when the moment comes, dare more than you think you can. You're stronger than the setback suggests.

What to read, in order

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

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. The judgment of 26 Great Achievements

    It's a good moment to leave your comfort zone and take on new actions, beyond what you think you can do. Heaven favors unusual actions that will lead you to success, because you have the qualities needed.

    Constancy is favorable. Not eating at home brings good fortune. It is favorable to cross the great river.

The trigrams

Below Lake Heaven
Above Fire Mountain

The way back

26 Great Achievements → 38 Opposites
lines 3 and 4

Other transformations of Opposites

Make your own cast

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

Toss the coins