Hexagram 17, line 1
初九Line 1 of Following Along
Nine at the beginning · 隨 suí
爻辭 The line text
官有渝，貞吉。出門交有功。The first line, undivided, shows us one changing the object of his pursuit; but if he be firm and correct, there will be good fortune. Going beyond (his own) gate to find associates, he will achieve merit.
官有渝，從正吉也。出門交有功，不失也。'He is changing the object of his pursuit:'—but if he follow what is correct, there will be good fortune. 'He goes beyond (his own) gate to find associates:'—he will not fail (in the method he pursues).
In plain words
The first line is the strong line that 'comes and places itself under the weak', as the Tuan puts it: the ruler of the lower trigram Zhen, movement at the very start of Following. Its text says 'what one holds to changes' (官有渝) — the office, standing or object of pursuit shifts, and that is not a fault if one stays correct. Then it is told to go out of the gate to make connections, and there will be merit: following begins by leaving one's own circle. The small Image fixes both halves: the change is good because it follows what is right (從正吉), and going out to meet others means no loss (不失也).
If this line is changing
When what you were following changes, let it, but hold to what is right and look for new company outside your usual circle rather than clinging to the old post.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 震 Zhen (the Arousing) (thunder).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 4: both lines are yang, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
隨 Following Along becomes ䷬ 45 萃 Assembly
The lake over the earth: waters gathering. Success; the king approaches the temple; see the great man — people gather around sincerity, and a great offering brings good fortune.
What it becomes45 · 萃 AssemblycuìThe six lines of 隨 Following Along
- 初九Nine at the beginninga change of post · stay correct · beyond the gate
- 六二Six in the second placethe near one · losing the better · cannot have both
- 六三Six in the third placethe grown man · letting go · gain with restraint
- 九四Nine in the fourth placefollowers gained · suspicion · sincerity on the way
- 九五Nine in the fifth placethe ruler · trust in the good · central and correct
- 上六Six at the topbound fast · following exhausted · the western mountain
Read 隨 Following Along for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine at the beginning of hexagram 17, Following Along, mean?
- The first line is the strong line that 'comes and places itself under the weak', as the Tuan puts it: the ruler of the lower trigram Zhen, movement at the very start of Following. Its text says 'what one holds to changes' (官有渝) — the office, standing or object of pursuit shifts, and that is not a fault if one stays correct. Then it is told to go out of the gate to make connections, and there will be merit: following begins by leaving one's own circle. The small Image fixes both halves: the change is good because it follows what is right (從正吉), and going out to meet others means no loss (不失也).
- What does hexagram 17 become when line 1 changes?
- Following Along becomes hexagram 45, 萃 Assembly: The lake over the earth: waters gathering. Success; the king approaches the temple; see the great man — people gather around sincerity, and a great offering brings good fortune.
- Is line 1 of Following Along in its correct place?
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).