Transformation · lines 1, 3, and 4

Shock becomes Simplicity

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

A mountain settles inside the earth where two thunders used to roll. Three lines move, so the reading rests on both judgments. Shock is about keeping your composure when something sudden frightens everyone: you feel the dread, then the relief, and you don't drop what you're holding. The resulting hexagram, 15 Simplicity, tells you how to carry yourself afterward. This isn't the time to boast or show off. Keep things plain, act fairly, and let your qualities speak for themselves; they'll be noticed without your help. Taken together, the movement asks you to stay calm under pressure and modest once the danger passes. If you came through the shock better than others, there's no need to announce it. Balance what's uneven, share fairly, and let a quiet steadiness be the sign that you're ready.

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 51 Shock

    When unexpected situations come along that would frighten others, keep control and act calmly, without losing your composure. This attitude will get you results in what you want and let you succeed where others fail.

    Success. Thunder comes, and there is dread; then laughter and easy talk. The thunder alarms a hundred leagues around, yet neither the ladle nor the sacrificial wine is let fall.

  2. The judgment of 15 Simplicity

    This isn't the time to boast or show off. It's time to keep things simple and to make sure you act fairly; your qualities and talents will show on their own and be recognized.

    Success. The noble person reaches the end.

  3. Line 1 of 51 Shock

    You see what's coming before it happens. That makes you worry ahead of time, but it also sets you looking for solutions, so when others start to worry, you'll already be focused on solving things.

    Thunder comes, and there is dread; afterward, laughter and easy talk. Good fortune.

  4. Line 3 of 51 Shock

    The blows you're taking right now aren't caused by fate. They come more from within, and that makes things harder. Once you realize this, you'll make the corrections and resolve the situation.

    Thunder that stuns and stuns. If thunder sets one going, no disaster.

  5. Line 4 of 51 Shock

    You can't see clearly what's holding you back, so the things you do don't settle matters. It's a time to wait until conditions change.

    Thunder sinks into the mud.

The trigrams

Above Thunder Earth

The way back

15 Simplicity → 51 Shock
lines 1, 3, and 4

Other transformations of Shock

Make your own cast

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

Toss the coins