Hexagram 39 line 4: Obstruction, yin in the fourth place

What changes when line 4 moves

Line 4 of Hexagram 39 is yin, a broken line. When it is cast as old yin (a 6) it flips, and the hexagram becomes Hexagram 31, Influence: Mutual attraction: influence that works because it is felt, not forced, and the courtship that follows.

Read together, the reading moves from Obstruction toward Influence. Water on the mountain, a dangerous ravine ahead: the obstacle is real, and the way is to turn and seek help. Mountain below, lake above: the still mountain with the lake resting on its summit, the strong below the gentle, the two drawn together. Influence is the hexagram of attraction between people, and its structure is the whole argument: the strong yields its place, the gentle is above, and the two are joined by feeling that neither commands. 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 39 changing to 31 →

Line 4 in context

Love & relationships

Retreat to gather the people you need, then return together. In love and relationships, Hexagram 39 reads: An obstacle between you that cannot be bulldozed. Stop pushing, look at your own part in it, and bring in help or perspective from outside. The lines repeatedly favour turning back to gather allies over going forward alone.

Career

Retreat to gather the people you need, then return together. In career, Hexagram 39 reads: A real block. Do not attack it head-on. Turn to easier ground, seek advice from someone experienced, and use the pause to work on yourself. The reading treats the obstruction as an occasion for growth rather than a failure.

Money

Retreat to gather the people you need, then return together. In money, Hexagram 39 reads: Blocked. Move toward the easier, more open option rather than the difficult one, take advice, and do not throw resources at the obstacle. Persistence is favoured, force is not.

A decision

Retreat to gather the people you need, then return together. In decisions, Hexagram 39 reads: Choose the option that goes around, not through: the open plain, not the ravine. Bring in help. If a decision can wait until you have examined your own role in the block, let it.