What this change means
The whole lower trigram moves, and Water becomes Fire: the danger that kept you pinned below turns into light and heat inside the lake. With three lines moving, the two judgments weigh equally. On one side is 47 Overwhelmed, where the wrong people surround you, your words aren't believed, and all you can lean on is your inner light while you wait. On the other is the resulting hexagram, 49 Renewal, a time of shedding a skin, of opening to new ways and letting go of what no longer does its job. What joins them is timing. Being hard pressed tends to show you what has worn out; renewal asks you to act on that, step by step and at the right moment, weighing what must change and what should stay. Don't rush the change out of desperation. Let your inner steadiness decide the pace, and make room for what's new.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- The judgment of 47 Overwhelmed
Things are very much against you: the wrong people surround you, no one believes what you say, and obstacles hem you in. All you can do is accept it and wait for better conditions to come. Your only resource is the inner light that lives in you; turn to that strength to hold you up right now.
Success. For the great person, constancy brings good fortune. No fault. They speak and are not believed.
- 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.
- Line 1 of 47 Overwhelmed
In these hard times, above all, keep your inner strength: it will be your support.
Buttocks caught on a tree stump. Goes into a dark valley; for three years, not seen.
- Line 2 of 47 Overwhelmed
The troubles right now are on the inside; on the outside, everything is fine. You need to recognize where the problem lies to solve it, and it's wise to seek help.
Hard pressed with wine and food. The red sash arrives. It is favorable to make sacrifices. Setting out brings misfortune. No fault.
- Line 3 of 47 Overwhelmed
Facing obstacles with weakness and complaints won't move you forward; on the contrary, it will sink you deeper.
Hard pressed by stone, leaning on thorns. Enters the house and does not see the wife. Misfortune.
The trigrams
The way back
49 Renewal → 47 Overwhelmedlines 1, 2, and 3
Other transformations of Overwhelmed
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 1, 2, and 4
- 5Inactionlines 1, 3, and 4
- 39Held Backlines 2, 3, and 4
- 51Shocklines 1, 2, and 5
- 34Great Manifestationlines 1, 3, and 5
- 62Success in Small Matterslines 2, 3, and 5
- 19Fleeting Successlines 1, 4, and 5
- 2Passivitylines 2, 4, and 5
- 46Going Uplines 3, 4, and 5
- 25Innocencelines 1, 2, and 6
- 1Activitylines 1, 3, and 6
- 33Leaving Behindlines 2, 3, and 6
- 61Inner Integritylines 1, 4, and 6
- 20Observinglines 2, 4, and 6
- 57Gentlenesslines 3, 4, and 6
- 38Oppositeslines 1, 5, and 6
- 35Advancelines 2, 5, and 6
- 50The Vessel of Nourishmentlines 3, 5, and 6
- 4Immaturitylines 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.