Transformation · lines 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Abiding becomes Treading Carefully
What this change means
Every line but the top one changes, and the lake below heaven replaces the two mountains. The unmoving top line of the new figure carries the reading. In 10 Treading Carefully, you're in a delicate situation; moving with awareness and gentleness can make even possible rivals give ground, perhaps becoming allies. Its top line adds: watch for favorable signs to know when to act, and then act decisively, and you'll tend to succeed. Notice how this completes the stillness you started from. You waited and watched; now the watching has a purpose. Keep reading the signals with care, move politely through tense ground, and when the sign is clear, don't hesitate. Readiness and decisiveness are two halves of the same skill, and you've already practiced the first.
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 10 Treading Carefully, which stays still
If you watch for the favorable signs to know when to act, and then act decisively, you'll succeed.
Looking back over the steps taken, examining the signs. If it turns back on itself: great good fortune.
- 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.
- Line 1 of 52 Abiding
Better to stop too soon than to take ill-advised steps.
Still the toes. No fault. Lasting constancy is favorable.
- Line 2 of 52 Abiding
Right now you can only see to stopping yourself in the right place; you can't make sure others do the same.
Still the calves. It cannot come to the aid of what it follows; the heart is not glad.
- Line 3 of 52 Abiding
The stillness you need now can't be forced. It has to come from a calm heart and unhurried breathing.
Still the waist; the flesh along the spine is torn. Danger: the heart is smothered.
- Line 4 of 52 Abiding
You're able to stay calm and trust that the universe will take care of things.
Still the trunk. No fault.
- Line 5 of 52 Abiding
You need not only to stay still and calm but also to keep quiet, because careless words could put you at risk.
Still the jaws; words come in order. Regret vanishes.
- The judgment of 10 Treading Carefully
You're facing a difficult situation. If you know how to conduct yourself properly, moving with awareness and gentleness, even people who could be rivals and stand in your way will give ground, and may even become your allies.
Stepping on the tiger's tail; it does not bite. Success.
The trigrams
The way back
10 Treading Carefully → 52 Abidinglines 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5
Other transformations of Abiding
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.