Transformation · lines 1, 3, and 4

Renewal becomes Union

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

Three lines shift, and Renewal opens into Water over Earth, a picture of streams finding one another. The starting judgment speaks of trust that arrives when the day has come, of timing each step, and of letting go of what has stopped working. The resulting hexagram, 8 Union, says success now comes through teaming up with people who share your project's direction and can back you. It also asks whether you, too, have the qualities the work requires. Balanced, the two point to a renewal that isn't a solo act. Clear out what's outlived its use, then look for those who share your direction. Be honest with yourself about your own readiness: if you're unsure, that question deserves attention before you commit. When the change is shared and you're equal to it, the trust the judgment speaks of has something solid to rest on.

What to read, in order

Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.

  1. The judgment of 49 Renewal

    You're in a time of renewal, like shedding a skin. Open yourself to change and to new ways of doing things. Success lies in taking each step at exactly the right moment, and in weighing what needs to change and what doesn't, what is no longer doing its job. Don't be afraid to let it go: you need to make room for the new to arrive.

    When the day has come, there is trust. Great success. Constancy is favorable. Regret vanishes.

  2. 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.

  3. Line 1 of 49 Renewal

    Don't rush into changes. Wait until conditions are favorable and you're clear about what you want to renew.

    Bound fast with the hide of a yellow ox.

  4. Line 3 of 49 Renewal

    Neither dragging things out nor acting in too much of a hurry is the right way to go about it now. Ask for signs, so you act at the right moment.

    Setting out brings misfortune. Constancy is in danger. When word of the change has come round three times, there is sincere trust.

  5. Line 4 of 49 Renewal

    Making the right changes at the right time will bring you success, as long as you rest on an inner certainty and your motives seek not only your own good but the well-being of others too.

    Regret vanishes. There is sincere trust: the mandate is changed. Good fortune.

The trigrams

Below Fire Earth
Above Lake Water

The way back

8 Union → 49 Renewal
lines 1, 3, and 4

Other transformations of Renewal

Make your own cast

The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.

Toss the coins