Transformation · lines 2, 4, and 6

Gentleness becomes Attraction

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

With the second, fourth and top lines moving, Mountain forms below and Lake above, a lake resting on a mountaintop. The two judgments weigh equally. Gentleness asks you to persist quietly, never pushing. 31 Attraction, the resulting hexagram, says good results come in proportion to how open and receptive you stay, because that openness draws in people who will support you generously and without self-interest. Both point toward influence that doesn't push. Wind enters everywhere because it's soft; a lake receives because it's open. Keep your direction, but make room for others to come close, the way an open hand invites what a closed fist pushes away. Listen more than you insist, and let the help you need arrive through the space you leave rather than through pressure.

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 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.

  2. The judgment of 31 Attraction

    You'll get good results to the extent that you stay open and receptive, which lets people come close who will support you and help you get there, generously and without self-interest.

    Success. Constancy is favorable. Taking a wife brings good fortune.

  3. Line 2 of 57 Gentleness

    You're being held back by dark forces you can't identify. So it's wise to turn to people who, through magical practices, can help you move forward.

    Yielding beneath the bed. Scribes and diviners are called in great numbers. Good fortune. No fault.

  4. 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.

  5. 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.

The trigrams

Below Wind Mountain
Above Wind Lake

The way back

31 Attraction → 57 Gentleness
lines 2, 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