Cambios

Transformation · lines 2, 4, 5, and 6

Success in Small Matters becomes Gentleness

小過 62 Success in Small Matters 巽 57 Gentleness
Starting hexagram
Resulting hexagram

What this change means

One gust following another: with four lines moving, both trigrams become Wind, gentle and persistent. The reading rests on the still lines of 57 Gentleness. Its first line warns against indecision: going forward and back delays success, and firm, decisive action is better than wavering. Its third line adds that thinking about what to do without committing to it only delays things further. The hexagram itself favors gentle, steady progress through small actions and the support of those above you, not pressure or force. So the scale stays small, as at the start, but the danger now is hesitation. Choose a path and commit to it. Act in small, consistent ways, without forcing, and stop turning the decision over. Gentle doesn't mean undecided; it means steady.

What to read, in order

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

  1. Line 1 of 57 Gentleness, which stays still

    Don't give in to indecision: going forward and back will delay your success. Right now firm, decisive action is better than wavering.

    Advancing and retreating. The constancy of the warrior is favorable.

  2. Line 3 of 57 Gentleness, which stays still

    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.

  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. 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.

  5. 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.

  6. Line 5 of 62 Success in Small Matters

    Your humility will help you find people who will act on your behalf.

    Thick clouds, yet no rain, out of our western fields. The prince shoots a corded arrow and takes what is in the cave.

  7. Line 6 of 62 Success in Small Matters

    If you insist on chasing goals that are out of reach for now, you'll lose whatever you put into them.

    Not meeting it, goes past it. The bird in flight falls into the net. Misfortune. This is called calamity and ruin.

  8. 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 trigrams

Below Mountain Wind
Above Thunder Wind

The way back

57 Gentleness → 62 Success in Small Matters
lines 2, 4, 5, and 6

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