What this change means
Fire above and the lake below pull in different directions as the second and top lines move. The top line leads: much of your unease is borrowed, worry absorbed from situations that aren't yours, and it's a poor moment to set out. Step back from the anxious mood and return to your center. The second line adds a loss you might feel tempted to chase; let it go, because what goes now tends to come back. The resulting hexagram, 38 Opposites, describes being among people who are different from you yet whom you need to share with. For now, what you can achieve is small. Don't give in, and don't try to make everyone alike. Keep your own nature, let others keep theirs, and contribute from there to what you share.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 6 of 51 Shock
Your main enemy now is a lack of calm: catching the worry that fills the air over situations that aren't affecting you. If you can step away from that atmosphere and return to your center, things will settle.
Thunder, shiver upon shiver; the eyes restless and lost. Setting out brings misfortune. The thunder strikes not oneself but the neighbor: no fault. Over the marriage there will be talk.
- Line 2 of 51 Shock
Situations may come up that seem hard to face, and you may even suffer losses. There's nothing to fear: what you lose you'll get back, and you'll be on the path of achievement again.
Thunder comes: danger. Countless cowries are lost; one climbs the nine hills. Do not chase them: in seven days they are found.
- 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.
- The judgment of 38 Opposites
You're in a situation of opposition: the people around you are different from you, yet you need to share with them. This means that what you can achieve for now is small. Even so, don't give in. It matters that both you and they keep your own nature and contribute from there to a shared project.
In small matters, good fortune.
The trigrams
The way back
38 Opposites → 51 Shocklines 2 and 6
Other transformations of Shock
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 1 and 2
- 62Success in Small Matterslines 1 and 3
- 34Great Manifestationlines 2 and 3
- 2Passivitylines 1 and 4
- 19Fleeting Successlines 2 and 4
- 36Darknesslines 3 and 4
- 45Meetinglines 1 and 5
- 58Inner Peacelines 2 and 5
- 49Renewallines 3 and 5
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 4 and 5
- 35Advancelines 1 and 6
- 30The Flamelines 3 and 6
- 27Nourishmentlines 4 and 6
- 25Innocencelines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.