What this change means
What the third line asks is simple and a little humbling: turn around. Going forward means more hardship; coming back means a return to ordinary ground, among the people who care about you. When it moves, the Mountain under the water softens into Earth, and Held Back becomes 8 Union. The image is of water settling on open land rather than piling against a peak. This isn't defeat. Stepping away from the obstacles for a while lets you recover normal conditions and wait for the right time to act. The resulting hexagram says that success now lies in joining with people who are aligned with what you're doing and who support you. It also asks whether you yourself have what the project needs, so be honest about that. Go home, regroup with those close to you, and let the next move come from a steadier place.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 3 of 39 Held Back
The right thing now is to step back from the obstacles and return to normal conditions, with the people who love you, until the time to act comes.
Going: hardship. Coming: a return.
- 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 8 Union
Right now success lies in joining with people who are aligned with your project and who are a support for you. But it's important that you, too, have the qualities needed to carry it out; that's why you can toss the coins once more to find out whether you have those qualities.
Good fortune. Consult the oracle again: great and lasting constancy. No fault. The restless come from every side. The one who comes late: misfortune.
The trigrams
The way back
8 Union → 39 Held Backline 3
Other transformations of Held Back
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.