What this change means
Water forms below and Lake above as the third, fourth and top lines move: a lake whose water has drained away underneath. Both judgments count equally. Gentleness advises steady, quiet effort, a chosen path kept without force, and support from those above. The resulting hexagram, 47 Overwhelmed, describes a hard time: the wrong people around you, words that no one believes, obstacles closing in. The only course is to accept it and wait for conditions to improve, leaning on the inner light that lives in you. Taken together, they ask for endurance without bitterness. Don't waste yourself on arguments you can't win. Keep doing the small things that are still possible, hold to your direction inwardly, and trust that this season, too, can change.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- 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.
- The judgment of 47 Overwhelmed
Things are very much against you: the wrong people surround you, no one believes what you say, and obstacles hem you in. All you can do is accept it and wait for better conditions to come. Your only resource is the inner light that lives in you; turn to that strength to hold you up right now.
Success. For the great person, constancy brings good fortune. No fault. They speak and are not believed.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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
The way back
47 Overwhelmed → 57 Gentlenesslines 3, 4, and 6
Other transformations of Gentleness
- 42Increaselines 1, 2, and 3
- 13Gathering with Equalslines 1, 2, and 4
- 10Treading Carefullylines 1, 3, and 4
- 12Declinelines 2, 3, and 4
- 22Good Mannerslines 1, 2, and 5
- 41Decreaselines 1, 3, and 5
- 23The Falllines 2, 3, and 5
- 14Wealthlines 1, 4, and 5
- 56The Travelerlines 2, 4, and 5
- 64Transitionlines 3, 4, and 5
- 63After the Endlines 1, 2, and 6
- 60Thriftlines 1, 3, and 6
- 8Unionlines 2, 3, and 6
- 43Overflowinglines 1, 4, and 6
- 31Attractionlines 2, 4, and 6
- 11Well-Beinglines 1, 5, and 6
- 15Simplicitylines 2, 5, and 6
- 7The Armylines 3, 5, and 6
- 32What Lastslines 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.