Transformation · lines 4 and 5
Gentleness becomes The Vessel of Nourishment
What this change means
The fourth and fifth lines move and the upper Wind becomes Fire: fire burning above wood, the image of a cauldron at work. The fifth line leads: it's time to change direction, reflecting first so that, once you know what you want, acting on it can succeed. The fourth line confirms your capacity: you can do what the situation requires, without hurry and without delay, and regret falls away. The resulting hexagram, 50 The Vessel of Nourishment, describes how the change unfolds: naturally, without upheaval, the way food cooks. Keep your enthusiasm lit, since it's what keeps you going, and be clear about the resources you have, as a cook is about ingredients. Don't expect a sudden transformation. Choose the new course, tend it steadily, and let it come together little by little.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 5 of 57 Gentleness
It's time to change course. Reflect before you set out; once you know what you want, taking action will make your success certain.
Constancy brings good fortune. Regret vanishes. Nothing that is not favorable. No beginning, yet an end. Three days before the geng day, three days after the geng day: good fortune.
- 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.
- 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 50 The Vessel of Nourishment
It's a time of change and adjustment, and it will happen naturally, without great upheaval, the way food cooks. Keep the flame lit: it's the enthusiasm that gives you the strength to keep going. And be clear about the resources you have, the way a cook chooses the ingredients. The change will come about little by little.
Great good fortune. Success.
The trigrams
The way back
50 The Vessel of Nourishment → 57 Gentlenesslines 4 and 5
Other transformations of Gentleness
- 37The Tribelines 1 and 2
- 61Inner Integritylines 1 and 3
- 20Observinglines 2 and 3
- 1Activitylines 1 and 4
- 33Leaving Behindlines 2 and 4
- 6Conflictlines 3 and 4
- 26Great Achievementslines 1 and 5
- 52Abidinglines 2 and 5
- 4Immaturitylines 3 and 5
- 5Inactionlines 1 and 6
- 39Held Backlines 2 and 6
- 29Waterlines 3 and 6
- 28Excesseslines 4 and 6
- 46Going Uplines 5 and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.