What this change means
The third line is the hardest moment in this hexagram: pressed by stone, leaning on thorns, coming home and finding no one there. Its practical warning is plain. If you meet obstacles with weakness and complaining, you won't move forward; you'll sink deeper. With this line moving, Water below turns into Wind, and the image becomes a lake rising over the trees. The resulting hexagram, 28 Excesses, describes a situation that calls for extraordinary measures so that what you've built doesn't collapse. Put the two together and the message is clear: lamenting is a luxury you can't afford right now. Check the foundations under your projects, strengthen what's weak, and be willing to step outside your comfort zone with something new. Standing alone without fear is part of it too. The weight is real, but grumbling only adds to it. Firm, inventive action is what keeps the structure standing.
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.
- 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 28 Excesses
You're in a situation that calls for extraordinary measures to keep what you've achieved from collapsing. Check and strengthen the foundations that hold up your projects, take innovative action and step out of your comfort zone. That way your success is assured; otherwise, loss can't be avoided.
The ridgepole sags. It is favorable to have somewhere to go. Success.
The trigrams
The way back
28 Excesses → 47 Overwhelmedline 3
Other transformations of Overwhelmed
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.