What this change means
The first line moves, and the yielding line at the base of Lack of Firmness turns firm, so the whole figure becomes pure Heaven. This line is the heart of the reading. Something or someone you'd be better off without is just entering your life, and the advice is to put distance between you now, while it's still small and before it gathers strength. The old image is a cart tied to a metal brake: holding still is what keeps you safe. Lack of Firmness warns that unsuitable influences tend to take over when you assume you can handle them. The resulting hexagram, 1 Activity, shows what opens once you act early: new beginnings and the strength to carry a project through. So don't wait to see how things develop. Draw the line at the start, and put your energy into what you genuinely want to build.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 1 of 44 Lack of Firmness
When something or someone you'd be better off without comes into your life, put distance between you quickly, before it gains power.
Tied to a metal brake. Constancy brings good fortune. If it has somewhere to go, it will meet misfortune. A lean pig, surely, paws and paces.
- The judgment of 44 Lack of Firmness
You're surrounded by unsuitable people or situations. You know it, but you think you have the power to control them and don't take them very seriously; it may even be a bad habit. If you don't pay attention and set firm limits, they'll take control over you and you won't be able to pull away.
The woman is strong. Do not take her as a wife.
- The judgment of 1 Activity
The creative principle. Activity. New beginnings, flourishing, and the qualities you need to carry any undertaking or project through to success.
Great success. Constancy is favorable.
The trigrams
The way back
1 Activity → 44 Lack of Firmnessline 1
Other transformations of Lack of Firmness
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.