Transformation · lines 1, 3, 4, and 6

Gentleness becomes Inner Peace

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

When the first, third, fourth and top lines move, both trigrams become Lake, two lakes side by side, feeding each other. The still lines of the resulting hexagram lead the reading. Its second line asks you to choose carefully whom you spend time with and what you do, since being drawn into worldly things without tending your inner life pulls you from your goals. Its fifth says that contact with the wrong people can lead to distraction and even addiction, and that once you see it and stop, you return to the path of inner peace. The resulting hexagram, 58 Inner Peace, describes calm that allows great things, nourished by people whose energy is like yours. Watch your company and your habits. Peace here depends on not drifting into inertia.

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 58 Inner Peace, which stays still

    Take great care over whom you spend time with and what activities you choose, because if you let yourself be drawn into worldly things without cultivating your inner life, you'll stray from your goals.

    Joy with trust. Good fortune. Regret vanishes.

  2. Line 5 of 58 Inner Peace, which stays still

    Contact with the wrong people can lead you into distraction and addiction. Once you realize it and put a stop to it, you'll get back on the path to inner peace.

    Trusting what strips away: there is danger.

  3. The judgment of 57 Gentleness

    It's a time when you'll gain and succeed through gentleness. This isn't the time for big actions, or for using pressure or force. It's a time to choose a path and stay on it steadily. Even if you don't see much progress, success will show itself through the build-up of small actions and through seeking the support of those above you.

    Small success. It is favorable to have somewhere to go. It is favorable to see the great person.

  4. Line 1 of 57 Gentleness

    Don't give in to indecision: going forward and back will delay your success. Right now firm, decisive action is better than wavering.

    Advancing and retreating. The constancy of the warrior is favorable.

  5. Line 3 of 57 Gentleness

    Thinking about what to do without making up your mind to do what needs doing will only delay your success.

    Yielding again and again. Distress.

  6. Line 4 of 57 Gentleness

    You're able to act as the situation requires, so go ahead, without haste but without delay, and you'll succeed.

    Regret vanishes. In the hunt, three kinds of game are taken.

  7. Line 6 of 57 Gentleness

    If you lose heart and drop the project because you don't see results yet, you'll lose what you've gained.

    Yielding beneath the bed. Loses goods and axe. Even with constancy, misfortune.

  8. The judgment of 58 Inner Peace

    You're in a time of calm and inner peace that lets you achieve great things. Spending time with people whose energy is like yours will nourish and recharge you to reach your aims. Still, don't lose sight of your goals, or you'll slide into inertia.

    Success. Constancy is favorable.

The trigrams

Below Wind Lake
Above Wind Lake

The way back

58 Inner Peace → 57 Gentleness
lines 1, 3, 4, and 6

Other transformations of Gentleness

Make your own cast

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

Toss the coins