I Ching · King Wen 17
Hexagram 17: Following
䷐ 隨 Suí · also called Adapting, According With · The Joyous above The Arousing
Following what is right, and being followed: influence that comes from adapting to the time.
adaptationloyaltyrestinfluenceconsent
The meaning of Hexagram 17
Thunder below, lake above: movement within joy, thunder resting in the lake in autumn. Following describes the art of adapting, of going with the time rather than against it, and of leading by being worth following. The tradition's judgement promises success with persistence, and the condition is that what is followed must be good. This is not passivity or drifting. It is the choice to serve something you believe in, to let others serve you only when you have earned it, and to rest when the season asks for rest.
The image. Thunder within the lake; the wise person goes indoors at nightfall for rest and recovery.
- Advice
- Follow what is worth following, wholeheartedly, and adapt to the time.
- Warning
- Following the wrong person, or following out of weakness rather than choice, loses the way.
over
Structure: ☳ The Arousing (Thunder) below, ☱ The Joyous (Lake) above. Nuclear hexagram 53, Development. Every line reversed: 18, Work on What Has Been Spoiled.
Hexagram 17 for love and relationships
Go along with the other person's rhythm for now, and choose carefully whom you follow. Devotion to someone worth it is strength; devotion to anyone who asks is the error the lines describe.
Hexagram 17 for career
Adapt to the direction of the organisation or the leader, if the direction is sound. If you lead, you keep followers by being worth following, not by insisting. Rest when the day ends.
Hexagram 17 for money
Follow the trend that is real rather than fighting it, and follow advice that is proven. The reading favours flexibility and warns against clinging to a position out of pride.
Hexagram 17 for decisions
Choose the option that adapts to the situation as it is. If it means following someone else's lead, do it wholeheartedly or not at all; half-following is the worst of both.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
Firmly held and bound. The king offers sacrifice on the western mountain.
A bond of following so complete that it holds even after the active phase has ended: an adviser the ruler still turns to, a loyalty that outlasts its occasion. The line honours ties that do not need a reason any more.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 25, Innocence. Read line 6 →
Sincere in what is good. Good fortune.
The leader who follows the good, and is followed because of it. Everything is aligned: what is admired is admirable, and devotion to it brings fortune. The line is the hexagram's ideal.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 51, The Arousing. Read line 5 →
Following creates success; persistence brings misfortune. Sincerity in the way brings clarity. How could there be blame?
Followers gather to someone who is not the rightful leader, and the situation is dangerous for everyone. The line's remedy is sincerity: if your motives are clear and you serve the real cause rather than your own following, no blame attaches.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 3, Difficulty at the Beginning. Read line 4 →
Clinging to the strong man, one loses the little boy. Following, one finds what one seeks. Persistence furthers.
The reverse choice, made deliberately: giving up the easy and pleasant to follow the worthwhile. There is a real loss and the tradition names it, then affirms the choice.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 49, Revolution. Read line 3 →
Clinging to the little boy, one loses the strong man.
Attaching yourself to something easy, small or immature and, by doing so, losing access to what is substantial. You cannot follow both. The line asks you to notice which one you are holding onto.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 58, The Joyous. Read line 2 →
The standard changes. Persistence brings good fortune. Going out of the door to mingle brings achievement.
Circumstances shift and the old rule no longer fits. Adapt, keep your principles, and get out among people with different views; staying inside your own circle now would leave you behind.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 45, Gathering Together. Read line 1 →
Related hexagrams
- ䷑18 Work on What Has Been Spoiled
every line reversed - ䷴53 Development
the nuclear hexagram, lines 2 to 5 - ䷬45 Gathering Together
line 1 changing - ䷹58 The Joyous
line 2 changing - ䷰49 Revolution
line 3 changing - ䷂3 Difficulty at the Beginning
line 4 changing - ䷲51 The Arousing
line 5 changing - ䷘25 Innocence
line 6 changing
Cast your own reading
Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.
Ask the I Ching →Common questions
- What does I Ching Hexagram 17 mean?
- Following what is right, and being followed: influence that comes from adapting to the time. Thunder below, lake above: movement within joy, thunder resting in the lake in autumn. Following describes the art of adapting, of going with the time rather than against it, and of leading by being worth following. The tradition's judgement promises success with persistence, and the condition is that what is followed must be good. This is not passivity or drifting. It is the choice to serve something you believe in, to let others serve you only when you have earned it, and to rest when the season asks for rest.
- What does Hexagram 17 mean for love?
- Go along with the other person's rhythm for now, and choose carefully whom you follow. Devotion to someone worth it is strength; devotion to anyone who asks is the error the lines describe.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 17 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 45, Gathering Together; line 2 gives Hexagram 58, The Joyous; line 3 gives Hexagram 49, Revolution; line 4 gives Hexagram 3, Difficulty at the Beginning; line 5 gives Hexagram 51, The Arousing; line 6 gives Hexagram 25, Innocence. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 18, Work on What Has Been Spoiled.