Transformation · line 4
The Vessel of Nourishment becomes Loss, Then Gain
What this change means
The fourth line breaks a leg of the cauldron, the prince's stew spills, and everything is soaked. As it moves, the Fire above becomes Mountain. This is the warning line: lose track of your aim and fall in with the wrong crowd, and the work fails. It's a picture of a vessel asked to carry what it can't hold, or trusted to the wrong hands. The resulting hexagram, 18 Loss, Then Gain, shows the way back. Mistakes that have led to decline can be repaired if you admit them and make the needed corrections, then give success time to return. So look honestly at where you've drifted and whom you've relied on. Step back from what's pulling you off course, fix what you can, and be patient. The spill is real, but it doesn't have to be the end of the meal.
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.
- 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 18 Loss, Then Gain
You've made mistakes that have brought you into decline; still, admitting it and making the corrections needed will lead you back to success. Take time to reflect on what caused the loss and, once you've acted, give success time to arrive.
Great success. It is favorable to cross the great river. Three days before the first day, three days after the first day.
The trigrams
The way back
18 Loss, Then Gain → 50 The Vessel of Nourishmentline 4
Other transformations of The Vessel of Nourishment
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.