Transformation · lines 2 and 4
The Vessel of Nourishment becomes Abiding
What this change means
Mountain twice over: the fourth and second lines move, and both trigrams come to rest. The fourth leads, warning that straying from your purpose and mixing with the wrong people spills everything. The second steadies you: your vessel is full, and envy can't reach you while you do things properly. Together they say protect what you have by staying where you belong. The resulting hexagram, 52 Abiding, calls for stillness, staying centered and steady, and waiting for outer conditions to show when it's time to act. So don't go chasing new alliances or proving yourself to rivals. Keep your focus, keep your circle sound, and hold your ground calmly. There's no action needed here beyond not going past what's happening now. A full cauldron set firmly in place is safer than one carried off in a hurry.
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 50 The Vessel of Nourishment
If you stray from your purpose and get involved with the wrong people, you won't succeed.
The cauldron breaks a leg and spills the prince's stew. Its form is drenched. Misfortune.
- Line 2 of 50 The Vessel of Nourishment
If you do things the right way, don't fear the envy your achievements stir up.
The cauldron is full. My rival is ill and cannot come near me. Good fortune.
- The judgment of 50 The Vessel of Nourishment
It's a time of change and adjustment, and it will happen naturally, without great upheaval, the way food cooks. Keep the flame lit: it's the enthusiasm that gives you the strength to keep going. And be clear about the resources you have, the way a cook chooses the ingredients. The change will come about little by little.
Great good fortune. Success.
- The judgment of 52 Abiding
It's a time of stillness, of staying centered and steady: that's the best way forward in your present situation. Sometimes you need to stop, calm and confident, and wait for outer conditions to show you it's time to act. Don't go beyond what's happening now. There's no action, only a harmonious stillness, and staying that way brings success.
Still at the back; the body is not reached. Walking in the courtyard; its people are not seen. No fault.
The trigrams
The way back
52 Abiding → 50 The Vessel of Nourishmentlines 2 and 4
Other transformations of The Vessel of Nourishment
- 30The Flamelines 1 and 2
- 38Oppositeslines 1 and 3
- 35Advancelines 2 and 3
- 26Great Achievementslines 1 and 4
- 4Immaturitylines 3 and 4
- 1Activitylines 1 and 5
- 33Leaving Behindlines 2 and 5
- 6Conflictlines 3 and 5
- 57Gentlenesslines 4 and 5
- 34Great Manifestationlines 1 and 6
- 62Success in Small Matterslines 2 and 6
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 3 and 6
- 46Going Uplines 4 and 6
- 28Excesseslines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.