Hexagram 10 line 5: Treading, yang in the fifth place

What changes when line 5 moves

Line 5 of Hexagram 10 is yang, a solid line. When it is cast as old yang (a 9) it flips, and the hexagram becomes Hexagram 38, Opposition: Fire and lake pulling apart: estrangement, and the small gains still possible when opposites understand their difference.

Read together, the reading moves from Treading toward Opposition. Careful conduct in a delicate situation: treading on the tiger's tail, and not being bitten. Lake below, fire above: fire rises and water sinks, two sisters living together who cannot agree. Opposition describes divergence, misunderstanding, people at cross purposes. The primary hexagram describes the situation; the changing line is the point of movement in it; the resulting hexagram is where that movement leads. Both hexagrams belong to the reading, and the changing line is the hinge between them.

Hexagram 10 changing to 38 →

Line 5 in context

Love & relationships

Be resolute, and stay aware that resolution does not remove the danger. In love and relationships, Hexagram 10 reads: A delicate situation with someone whose reaction you cannot predict. Tact matters more than truth-telling for its own sake. Be kind, be careful, and do not test the tiger to see if it bites.

Career

Be resolute, and stay aware that resolution does not remove the danger. In career, Hexagram 10 reads: You are dealing with a powerful person or a dangerous situation. The reading favours impeccable conduct: polite, correct, unhurried, never presumptuous. Know your place in the order and act from it.

Money

Be resolute, and stay aware that resolution does not remove the danger. In money, Hexagram 10 reads: Proceed with care in a situation where a misstep is costly. Read the terms. Do not provoke a stronger party. Modest, correct dealings get through where clever ones get bitten.

A decision

Be resolute, and stay aware that resolution does not remove the danger. In decisions, Hexagram 10 reads: Choose the option that lets you move carefully and correctly. If the decision requires you to step on the tiger, do it with full attention and good manners, not bravado.