Transformation · lines 1, 4, 5, and 6

Abiding becomes Renewal

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

Fire burns beneath the lake as four lines move, and the long stillness turns into a call for change. The counsel lies in the new figure's two still lines. In 49 Renewal, it's a time to shed an old skin, open to new ways and weighing carefully what needs to change. Its second line says that when you've tried several solutions and none has worked, the moment for a radical change has come. Its third line warns against both dragging things out and rushing; ask for signs so you act at the right moment. So the waiting has served its purpose. Accept that half measures failed, prepare for a real change, and time it carefully. Deep change made at the right moment tends to hold.

What to read, in order

Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.

  1. Line 2 of 49 Renewal, which stays still

    When you've tried several things to solve something and nothing works, it's time for radical change.

    When the day has come, the change is made. Setting out brings good fortune. No fault.

  2. Line 3 of 49 Renewal, which stays still

    Neither dragging things out nor acting in too much of a hurry is the right way to go about it now. Ask for signs, so you act at the right moment.

    Setting out brings misfortune. Constancy is in danger. When word of the change has come round three times, there is sincere trust.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. 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.

  7. Line 6 of 52 Abiding

    There's perfect stillness, an inner calm that lets you master what's outside. Success.

    Deep stillness. Good fortune.

  8. The judgment of 49 Renewal

    You're in a time of renewal, like shedding a skin. Open yourself to change and to new ways of doing things. Success lies in taking each step at exactly the right moment, and in weighing what needs to change and what doesn't, what is no longer doing its job. Don't be afraid to let it go: you need to make room for the new to arrive.

    When the day has come, there is trust. Great success. Constancy is favorable. Regret vanishes.

The trigrams

Below Mountain Fire
Above Mountain Lake

The way back

49 Renewal → 52 Abiding
lines 1, 4, 5, and 6

Other transformations of Abiding

Make your own cast

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

Toss the coins