What this change means
Wind follows wind as the second and top lines move, and both trigrams of Held Back become the same gentle, penetrating force. The top line leads: your maturity lets you stay calm in difficulty and support others, and those above you tend to offer support in return. The second line is the one who serves through hardship after hardship, none of it their fault, keeping their integrity. One line is the seasoned elder, the other the faithful worker, and both endure without bitterness. The resulting hexagram, 57 Gentleness, says gain now comes through softness, not pressure. This isn't the time for big moves or force. Choose a path and stay on it steadily; even if progress looks slow, small actions add up, and the support of those above you matters. Keep serving well, keep calm, and let persistence do what force can't.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 6 of 39 Held Back
You've reached such maturity and confidence that you can face difficulties calmly and help others; in the same way, you'll receive help from those above you.
Going: hardship. Coming: greatness. Good fortune. It is favorable to see the great person.
- Line 2 of 39 Held Back
It's time to face the difficulties, which seem to grow as you advance. Still, if your actions go hand in hand with inner integrity, you'll succeed in the end.
The king's servant, in hardship upon hardship, and not of their own doing.
- The judgment of 39 Held Back
Every time you advance, something blocks you, forcing you to stop, step back, and look for help from like-minded people who give you their support. That way you'll get past the obstacles one by one until the final victory.
The southwest is favorable; the northeast is not. It is favorable to see the great person. Constancy brings good fortune.
- 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 → 39 Held Backlines 2 and 6
Other transformations of Held Back
- 5Inactionlines 1 and 2
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 1 and 3
- 29Waterlines 2 and 3
- 49Renewallines 1 and 4
- 28Excesseslines 2 and 4
- 45Meetinglines 3 and 4
- 36Darknesslines 1 and 5
- 46Going Uplines 2 and 5
- 2Passivitylines 3 and 5
- 62Success in Small Matterslines 4 and 5
- 37The Tribelines 1 and 6
- 20Observinglines 3 and 6
- 33Leaving Behindlines 4 and 6
- 52Abidinglines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.