Line 1 Yang
A role changes; keep integrity and make connections beyond your door.
← The 64 hexagrams
HEXAGRAM 17 · Suí
Following with Discernment
Adapt to people and circumstances while keeping a sound direction.
☱ Above: Dui · Lake☳ Below: Zhen · Thunder
Meaning
Thunder within the lake suggests movement attuned to its season, including rest at dusk. Every allegiance involves a choice; gaining followers also calls for examining motives.
FOR REFLECTION
Are you following a value you trust or the attraction of a person?
The six lines
Read from line 1 at the bottom to line 6 at the top. These are paraphrases, not verbatim translations.
Line 2 Yin
Attach to the immature and lose the mature: not every bond can be retained.
Line 3 Yin
Choosing mature company leaves lesser attachments behind; gains still require constancy.
Line 4 Yang
Gaining followers can be dangerous; sincerity, right purpose, and clarity must support it.
Line 5 Yang
Place trust in what is worthy; choose the object of allegiance carefully.
Line 6 Yin
A bond held fast, with a royal offering at the western mountain, evokes lasting dedication.
References
Classical Zhouyi · 隨James Legge, The Yî King (1882), Sacred Books of the East XVI, hexagram 17
Editorial policy & bibliography →For reference and reflection. This commentary makes no certain claim about the future.