What this change means
A cry of alarm runs through the second line, yet the advice is not to panic: act decisively, and keep your eyes on the signs so you can take precautions as they're needed. In Overflowing, tension has piled up until it has to come out, and this line shows how to stay steady while it does. With Heaven below turning to Fire, the lower half gains light, and the pressure starts to look like a chance for real change. The resulting hexagram, 49 Renewal, speaks of shedding a skin: letting go of what no longer does its job and making room for new ways of working. The key is timing. Each step lands best at its proper moment, and alertness is what tells you when that moment has come. Be firm in your decision, watchful in your methods, and willing to release what has run its course rather than defend it out of habit.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 2 of 43 Overflowing
Act decisively, but pay attention to the signs so you can take precautions when needed.
A cry of alarm. At nightfall there are weapons: do not worry.
- The judgment of 43 Overflowing
It's a time of excessive buildup: some situations are about to get out of control and overwhelm you, both personally and in your relationships. You need to bring what's happening into the open, but without speaking about it directly; watch your words so you don't provoke reactions. It's a time to act generously to ease the tension that's there.
It is proclaimed in the king's court. A sincere cry: there is danger. Word comes from one's own city. It is not favorable to take up arms. It is favorable to have somewhere to go.
- The judgment of 49 Renewal
You're in a time of renewal, like shedding a skin. Open yourself to change and to new ways of doing things. Success lies in taking each step at exactly the right moment, and in weighing what needs to change and what doesn't, what is no longer doing its job. Don't be afraid to let it go: you need to make room for the new to arrive.
When the day has come, there is trust. Great success. Constancy is favorable. Regret vanishes.
The trigrams
The way back
49 Renewal → 43 Overflowingline 2
Other transformations of Overflowing
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.