Transformation · lines 2, 3, and 6
Release from Obstacles becomes Held Back
What this change means
Water lies on the mountain, and every step forward meets resistance: the second, third and top lines move, and the result is 39 Held Back. The two judgments are weighed equally. On one side, release: the obstacles come from selfishness, and sincerity, humility and shared goals can dissolve them. On the other, a hard road where something blocks you each time you advance, forcing you to stop, step back, and ask like-minded people for support. They agree more than they seem to. Neither situation is solved alone. The release you're after won't come in one sweep; it comes obstacle by obstacle, with help. So don't read each setback as failure. Pause, turn back to yourself, see what you need, and reach out to people who share your aims. Patient, accompanied steps get through what a solitary push can't.
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 59 Release from Obstacles
You can free yourself from the obstacles that hold you back if you're able to act sincerely and bring opposites together around shared goals. The tension has arisen because selfishness rules. To move forward, be humble and let the current carry you rather than going against it.
Success. The king goes to his temple. It is favorable to cross the great river. Constancy is favorable.
- The judgment of 39 Held Back
Every time you advance, something blocks you, forcing you to stop, step back, and look for help from like-minded people who give you their support. That way you'll get past the obstacles one by one until the final victory.
The southwest is favorable; the northeast is not. It is favorable to see the great person. Constancy brings good fortune.
- Line 2 of 59 Release from Obstacles
Recognizing that you've isolated yourself and pulled away from shared purposes will help you get past the obstacles.
In the scattering, it runs to its support. Regret vanishes.
- Line 3 of 59 Release from Obstacles
If you're clear about your goals and purposes, you'll be able to give ground so as to find unity and get past the obstacles.
Scatters its own self. No regret.
- Line 6 of 59 Release from Obstacles
Get away in time from whatever puts you and your people in danger. Withdrawing now isn't running away: it's dissolving the risk before it reaches you, and there's no mistake in that.
Scatters its blood; goes away, departs far off. No fault.
The trigrams
The way back
39 Held Back → 59 Release from Obstacleslines 2, 3, and 6
Other transformations of Release from Obstacles
- 37The Tribelines 1, 2, and 3
- 25Innocencelines 1, 2, and 4
- 1Activitylines 1, 3, and 4
- 33Leaving Behindlines 2, 3, and 4
- 27Nourishmentlines 1, 2, and 5
- 26Great Achievementslines 1, 3, and 5
- 52Abidinglines 2, 3, and 5
- 38Oppositeslines 1, 4, and 5
- 35Advancelines 2, 4, and 5
- 50The Vessel of Nourishmentlines 3, 4, and 5
- 3Initial Obstacleslines 1, 2, and 6
- 5Inactionlines 1, 3, and 6
- 58Inner Peacelines 1, 4, and 6
- 45Meetinglines 2, 4, and 6
- 28Excesseslines 3, 4, and 6
- 19Fleeting Successlines 1, 5, and 6
- 2Passivitylines 2, 5, and 6
- 46Going Uplines 3, 5, and 6
- 40Clearing Obstacleslines 4, 5, and 6
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.