What this change means
The fourth line leads and the second follows, and both are about help. The fourth asks you to act quickly when others need you in hard times, because help that crawls along loses its use. The second turns the question inward: the trouble is within you, even though outward things look fine, and it's wise to recognize that and ask for support. As Water below becomes Earth and the Lake above becomes Water, the image is water spread over the ground. The resulting hexagram, 8 Union, places success in joining people who share your aims and can support you, while making sure you also have what the project demands. So this movement turns being hard pressed into a question of alliances. Give help promptly, accept it honestly, and look closely at who stands with you. It's also worth asking whether you're ready for the role you want.
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 47 Overwhelmed
Helping others in times of hardship matters, but that help has to be quick to do its job.
Comes slowly, slowly, hard pressed in a metal carriage. Distress, but there is an end.
- 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.
- 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 8 Union
Right now success lies in joining with people who are aligned with your project and who are a support for you. But it's important that you, too, have the qualities needed to carry it out; that's why you can toss the coins once more to find out whether you have those qualities.
Good fortune. Consult the oracle again: great and lasting constancy. No fault. The restless come from every side. The one who comes late: misfortune.
The trigrams
The way back
8 Union → 47 Overwhelmedlines 2 and 4
Other transformations of Overwhelmed
- 17Adaptinglines 1 and 2
- 43Overflowinglines 1 and 3
- 31Attractionlines 2 and 3
- 60Thriftlines 1 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.