Transformation · lines 2 and 4

Success in Small Matters becomes Going Up

Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

Two lines shift and both trigrams with them: Mountain gives way to Wind, Thunder to Earth, and the picture becomes a tree growing up through the soil. The fourth line leads, asking you to stand firm and not act yet, holding your purpose steady and staying alert until the time arrives. The second line supports that patience: know your limits, accept the minister when the lord is out of reach, and small efforts will bear fruit. The resulting hexagram, 46 Going Up, speaks of a rise that comes from dedicated work, and of the help an important person can give. So the restraint here isn't a dead end. Hold your ground, do the modest work well, and when the right person or opening appears, don't be afraid to approach. Growth comes upward slowly, from roots you tended while waiting.

What to read, in order

Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.

  1. Line 4 of 62 Success in Small Matters

    It's not the time to act, but it is the time to stand firm, without straying from your purposes, until the time to act arrives.

    No fault. Without going beyond, it meets it. Going is dangerous: be on guard. Do not act with lasting constancy.

  2. Line 2 of 62 Success in Small Matters

    Recognizing your limitations right now and focusing on small achievements will bear fruit.

    Passes the grandfather and meets the grandmother; does not reach the lord and meets the minister. No fault.

  3. The judgment of 62 Success in Small Matters

    This isn't a time for great things; it's a time for small achievements. Recognizing that will help you live in step with the moment. Trying to go beyond your present means and resources will lead you astray and waste your efforts.

    Success. Constancy is favorable. Small things can be done, not great ones. The flying bird leaves its call behind: it is not fitting to rise, it is fitting to descend. Great good fortune.

  4. The judgment of 46 Going Up

    You're in a time of rising, and this rise is the fruit of work you've done with dedication. Seeking the help of an important person will bring great success; don't be afraid of that meeting, because everything is favorable now.

    Great success. Seeing the great person is of use. Do not worry. Setting out southward brings good fortune.

The trigrams

Below Mountain Wind
Above Thunder Earth

The way back

46 Going Up → 62 Success in Small Matters
lines 2 and 4

Other transformations of Success in Small Matters

Make your own cast

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

Toss the coins