What this change means
An empty wrapper, no fish inside: the fourth line asks you to think twice before cutting ties. Right now it's wiser to keep difficult people within reach, provided you can hold firm boundaries with them, since they may serve a purpose later. Setting off against them now would bring trouble. In Lack of Firmness, the danger is treating harmful influences too lightly, and this line refines the answer: not carelessness, but deliberate, bounded closeness. As Heaven above turns into Wind, wind follows wind, and the resulting hexagram, 57 Gentleness, says that progress comes now through softness and persistence rather than pressure or force. So don't make a show of rejecting anyone. Keep your boundaries clear and quiet, choose a path and stay on it, and let small, steady actions do the work, seeking support from those above you.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 4 of 44 Lack of Firmness
For now it's better to keep adverse people close, as long as you know how to set limits with them; they may be useful to you at some point.
In the wrapping there is no fish. Setting off brings misfortune.
- 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 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 → 44 Lack of Firmnessline 4
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.