Hexagram 17, line 3
六三Line 3 of Following Along
Six in the third place · 隨 suí
爻辭 The line text
系丈夫，失小子。隨有求得，利居貞。The third line, divided, shows us one who cleaves to the man of age and experience, and lets go the little boy. Such following will get what it seeks; but it will be advantageous to adhere to what is firm and correct.
系丈夫，志舍下也。'He cleaves to the man of age and experience:'—by the decision of his will, he abandons (the youth) below.
In plain words
Line three makes the opposite choice: it 'binds itself to the grown man and loses the little boy.' Above it stands the strong fourth line; below it the first; it goes up, and the small Image approves: its will lets go of what is below (志舍下也). Such following 'seeks and obtains', because attaching oneself to the stronger party brings advantages. Yet line three is yin in a yang place, not correct, and has no proper correspondent at the top, so the text adds a brake: it is better to stay put and be steady (利居貞) than to turn the gain into a habit of asking.
If this line is changing
Attaching yourself to the stronger side can get you what you want; take it, then stop asking and keep your own ground.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin line that moves when cast.
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 震 Zhen (the Arousing) (thunder).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 6: both lines are yin, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
隨 Following Along becomes ䷰ 49 革 Reform
Fire in the lake: two that extinguish each other — change is forced. A revolution is believed only after it is done; supreme success when the time is ripe and the cause is right.
What it becomes49 · 革 ReformgéThe 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 Six in the third place of hexagram 17, Following Along, mean?
- Line three makes the opposite choice: it 'binds itself to the grown man and loses the little boy.' Above it stands the strong fourth line; below it the first; it goes up, and the small Image approves: its will lets go of what is below (志舍下也). Such following 'seeks and obtains', because attaching oneself to the stronger party brings advantages. Yet line three is yin in a yang place, not correct, and has no proper correspondent at the top, so the text adds a brake: it is better to stay put and be steady (利居貞) than to turn the gain into a habit of asking.
- What does hexagram 17 become when line 3 changes?
- Following Along becomes hexagram 49, 革 Reform: Fire in the lake: two that extinguish each other — change is forced. A revolution is believed only after it is done; supreme success when the time is ripe and the cause is right.
- Is line 3 of Following Along in its correct place?
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).