Hexagram 4 line 3: Youthful Folly, yin in the third place

What changes when line 3 moves

Line 3 of Hexagram 4 is yin, a broken line. When it is cast as old yin (a 6) it flips, and the hexagram becomes Hexagram 18, Work on What Has Been Spoiled: Repairing decay: something has been neglected, and the work is to set it right with care before and after.

Read together, the reading moves from Youthful Folly toward Work on What Has Been Spoiled. Inexperience seeking guidance: the learner must ask, and the teacher must not be asked twice for the same answer. Wind below, mountain above: wind stopped at the foot of a mountain, air gone stale. The Chinese character shows worms in a bowl. 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 4 changing to 18 →

Line 3 in context

Love & relationships

Do not attach yourself to anything just because it looks powerful. In love and relationships, Hexagram 4 reads: Someone in the situation is inexperienced, and pretending otherwise is the problem. Be honest about what you do not know. If you are the one being asked for the same reassurance repeatedly, the reading supports a kind, firm answer given once.

Career

Do not attach yourself to anything just because it looks powerful. In career, Hexagram 4 reads: A learning position. Find the person who knows and ask properly; do not ask everyone, and do not keep asking the same thing. The reading rewards the humble learner and the teacher who sets clear limits.

Money

Do not attach yourself to anything just because it looks powerful. In money, Hexagram 4 reads: Do not act on money matters you do not understand. Take advice from someone qualified, once, and follow it. The folly the hexagram names is repeating a question because you dislike the answer.

A decision

Do not attach yourself to anything just because it looks powerful. In decisions, Hexagram 4 reads: You do not yet know enough to decide well. Get guidance, sincerely, from one good source, and then act on it rather than shopping for a second opinion that agrees with you.