Transformation · lines 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
After the End becomes Opposites
What this change means
All but the first line move, and fire flames up over a lake, two elements going separate ways. That still line of 38 Opposites carries the reading: don't try to bring anyone close by force; see the differences, however large, and if someone close drifts off for a time, release them, since they tend to return by themselves. The hexagram describes opposition with people unlike you, where only small things can be achieved together, yet each side should keep its nature and contribute from there. After a shared success, people may drift apart. Don't fight it. Accept the differences and give space. Keep your own character, and let any common work stay small for now. What belongs to you tends to return when it isn't chased.
What to read, in order
Marked ● is what Zhu Xi's tradition puts at the center for this number of moving lines.
- Line 1 of 38 Opposites, which stays still
Don't try to join with anyone by force; it's important to recognize differences, however large. Even if someone close to you pulls away for a while, let them go: they'll come back on their own.
Regret vanishes. The horse is lost: do not chase it; it comes back by itself. Seeing wicked people: no fault.
- The judgment of 63 After the End
You're in a situation where you'll have a passing success: everything seems to be in your favor, and at the end comes a period of stagnation. If you prepare for it ahead of time, you'll be able to soften its effects.
Success in small things. Constancy is favorable. At first, good fortune; in the end, disorder.
- Line 2 of 63 After the End
Don't try to recover what you lose for now: it will come back to you naturally.
The wife loses the screen of her carriage. Do not chase it: in seven days it is found.
- Line 3 of 63 After the End
If you want to expand right now, you'll have to use extreme measures to clear the obstacles in the way.
The High Ancestor attacks the land of Guifang; in three years he conquers it. Do not employ the petty person.
- Line 4 of 63 After the End
If you get careless during times of expansion, old unresolved matters may come to light. Stay alert so you can put them right.
There are rags for the leaks in the boat; on guard all day long.
- Line 5 of 63 After the End
If your actions come from the heart and are genuine, a small action can bring great results.
The eastern neighbor slaughters an ox; it is not worth the simple offering of the western neighbor, who truly receives the blessing.
- Line 6 of 63 After the End
This is a period of advance: retreating or stopping will bring you trouble.
Wets its head. Danger.
- The judgment of 38 Opposites
You're in a situation of opposition: the people around you are different from you, yet you need to share with them. This means that what you can achieve for now is small. Even so, don't give in. It matters that both you and they keep your own nature and contribute from there to a shared project.
In small matters, good fortune.
The trigrams
The way back
38 Opposites → 63 After the Endlines 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6
Other transformations of After the End
Make your own cast
The answer changes with the question. Toss the coins and see which lines move for you.