What this change means
The fifth line leads and the first follows, two very different moods in one movement. The fifth is clear water drawn and drunk: you see the opportunities and feel the drive to act. The first is the muddy well nobody visits, the low spirits that hide everything good. Below, Wind becomes Heaven; above, Water becomes Earth, and the figure becomes heaven and earth in union. The resulting hexagram, 11 Well-Being, describes a period of harmony and understanding, when unhelpful people drift away and supportive ones arrive. So the change asks you to choose which well to drink from. The gloom of the first line is real, but the clarity of the fifth is stronger here. Let your motivation lead, clear away the mud of discouragement, and enjoy the well-being that tends to come when you do. Heaven's gifts are easier to receive with clear eyes.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- 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 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.
- 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.
- The judgment of 11 Well-Being
A period of well-being, harmony and understanding is coming, and you can enjoy it. People and situations that weren't good for you are moving away, and in their place come people and situations that bring blessings and support. Heaven grants its gifts.
The small goes, the great comes. Good fortune. Success.
The trigrams
The way back
11 Well-Being → 48 Right Actionlines 1 and 5
Other transformations of Right Action
- 63After the Endlines 1 and 2
- 60Thriftlines 1 and 3
- 8Unionlines 2 and 3
- 43Overflowinglines 1 and 4
- 31Attractionlines 2 and 4
- 47Overwhelmedlines 3 and 4
- 15Simplicitylines 2 and 5
- 7The Armylines 3 and 5
- 32What Lastslines 4 and 5
- 9Small Thingslines 1 and 6
- 53Gradual Progresslines 2 and 6
- 59Release from Obstacleslines 3 and 6
- 44Lack of Firmnesslines 4 and 6
- 18Loss, Then Gainlines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.