Transformation · lines 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Right Action becomes Opposites
What this change means
Fire rises over a lake as five lines move, two elements pulling apart. A single line of the result stays at rest, the second, with this guidance: you can reach agreements with like-minded people you aren't in touch with, using skillful means to bring those meetings about. That frames how 48 Right Action becomes 38 Opposites. Where the well pressed you to employ your means, the resulting one describes being among people different from you, where you still need to share and where what you can achieve is small for now. The resource to use here is connection. Reach out to people who share your outlook, even indirectly, and find tactful ways to meet. With the others, keep your own nature and contribute from it. Joining while staying distinct is the art this moment asks for.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 2 of 38 Opposites, which stays still
You can reach agreements with people like you whom you're not in touch with, using skillful means to bring those meetings about.
Meets their lord in a back lane. No fault.
- 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.
- Line 1 of 48 Right Action
Your mood is low, so everything looks bleak to you: you don't see the opportunities and you don't draw help.
A muddy well: no one drinks. No birds come to the old well.
- Line 3 of 48 Right Action
You aren't using all your talents, and you have many, so the opportunities are there but you don't take them.
The well is cleaned, and no one drinks: my heart aches. Water could be drawn. If the king were clear-sighted, all would share in the blessing.
- Line 4 of 48 Right Action
It's time to rethink and focus on the opportunities. If you focus on action and use your talents, you'll succeed.
The well is lined with brick. No fault.
- Line 5 of 48 Right Action
You recognize the opportunities around you and feel motivated and determined to act, which will bring success.
The well is clear: the cold spring is drunk.
- Line 6 of 48 Right Action
You have all the talents and abilities to act and seize the moment, and you also want to contribute to those around you: there will be success.
Water is drawn from the well: do not cover it. There is sincere trust. Great good fortune.
- The judgment of 38 Opposites
You're in a situation of opposition: the people around you are different from you, yet you need to share with them. This means that what you can achieve for now is small. Even so, don't give in. It matters that both you and they keep your own nature and contribute from there to a shared project.
In small matters, good fortune.
The trigrams
The way back
38 Opposites → 48 Right Actionlines 1, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Other transformations of Right Action
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.