What this change means
Here the third line leads and the first one follows, and both speak about how you hold up under pressure. The third warns that weakness and complaints in the face of obstacles only pull you down further; the first asks you to hold fast to your inner strength during the stretch when you seem trapped and unseen. Below, Water becomes Heaven, and the lake now sits on top of strong, rising force. The resulting hexagram, 43 Overflowing, describes a buildup that's close to spilling over in your personal life and your relationships. That's the risk of this movement: pressure that you've swallowed in silence, or vented in endless complaint, can burst. The way through is to bring what's happening into the open with care, choosing your words so you don't provoke, and acting generously to ease the tension. Firm inside, gentle in form: that combination keeps the overflow from turning into a flood.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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 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 trigrams
The way back
43 Overflowing → 47 Overwhelmedlines 1 and 3
Other transformations of Overwhelmed
- 17Adaptinglines 1 and 2
- 31Attractionlines 2 and 3
- 60Thriftlines 1 and 4
- 8Unionlines 2 and 4
- 48Right Actionlines 3 and 4
- 54A Subordinate Rolelines 1 and 5
- 16Passionlines 2 and 5
- 32What Lastslines 3 and 5
- 7The Armylines 4 and 5
- 10Treading Carefullylines 1 and 6
- 12Declinelines 2 and 6
- 44Lack of Firmnesslines 3 and 6
- 59Release from Obstacleslines 4 and 6
- 64Transitionlines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.