What this change means
The fifth line moves, and it speaks of climbing stairs: one step at a time. Success is close, and the line warns you not to let it cloud your judgment. Go steadily, enjoy each stage, and don't rush or let power dazzle you. As it changes, the Earth on top becomes Water, and the resulting hexagram is 48 Right Action, water drawn up through wood like a well. Its message sharpens the line's: opportunities are on your side, but they're wasted if you keep postponing decisions, and the answer is to use what you already have rather than chasing something new. So the step-by-step pace isn't hesitation. It's careful use of each opening as it comes. Decide, act, draw from the well, then take the next stair. Neither rushing nor delaying serves you now.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 5 of 46 Going Up
Don't let success cloud your judgment. Go step by step, enjoying each moment, without rushing or being dazzled by power.
Constancy brings good fortune. Ascends by the steps.
- The judgment of 46 Going Up
You're in a time of rising, and this rise is the fruit of work you've done with dedication. Seeking the help of an important person will bring great success; don't be afraid of that meeting, because everything is favorable now.
Great success. Seeing the great person is of use. Do not worry. Setting out southward brings good fortune.
- The judgment of 48 Right Action
You're at a moment when opportunities are on your side. But if you don't know how to use them because you keep putting off decisions and actions, being in the right place at the right time won't do you any good. It's not about looking for new things but about making use of what you have, or there will be loss.
The town is changed, the well is not. Nothing lost, nothing gained. They come and go, and draw from the well. Nearly there, the rope does not yet reach the well; if the jar breaks, misfortune.
The trigrams
The way back
48 Right Action → 46 Going Upline 5
Other transformations of Going Up
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.