Following
隨Sui
No. 17 · Lake over Thunder
Sui (Following)
Seeing clearly whom and what to follow, and being willing to adjust as you go. Going along well means keeping to what is right, not following blindly.
Cast your own hexagramSui (Following) is about adjusting to the times: follow what deserves following and change what needs changing. The condition is staying upright. Follow the right people and the right direction, not whoever is loudest.
Favorable
- Look clearly before you follow
- Adjust to the times
- Get out and meet people
- Rest when night falls
Avoid
- Following the crowd blindly
- Clinging to an old plan
- Grabbing the small, losing the big
- Outshining those above you
Work and money
- Job search
- Look for a good manager or a team with a clear direction. The first line says going out the gate to mix with others brings achievement: go to events and ask around, because the opening tends to come from outside.
- Business
- Follow the market and adjust to what clients need, and business flows. The fourth line warns that gains from following can turn risky even when you're upright: when your share of the credit outgrows your partners', mind your place.
- Money
- It is fine to take cues from reliable people or clear trends, but don't chase what's hot. If you don't understand it, don't follow it.
Love and people
- Single
- Go out more and be willing to match other people's pace; someone tends to show up. The second and third lines are about choosing: hold on to the small thing and you lose the big one, so know which you want.
- In a relationship
- The firm comes down beneath the yielding: when the stronger one of you is willing to bend, things run smoothly. Accommodating each other is good, but keep your own views.
- Getting back together
- Sui (Following) lets go of the old, and they may have moved on with a new life. If you want them back, bring a genuinely new way of being together. If they don't want to follow, let them go.
- People and partnerships
- In any partnership, be clear about whom to stand with. The fifth line, sincere toward the good, is favorable: side with people who are honest and do good work, not with whoever talks loudest.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- A good teacher or a solid method beats charging ahead alone. When you see someone's approach working better, adapt it; there is no need to cling to your original plan.
- Moving and travel
- Trips and moves go smoothly. In a new place, following local habits helps you settle faster than insisting on your old ways. Plan the itinerary together with the people traveling with you.
- Body and mind
- Keeping up with everyone else wears you out. Go indoors at nightfall to rest: stop work when it gets dark, and no scrolling or answering messages before bed. If something feels physically wrong, get it checked.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- It depends on timing and can't be rushed. Fit yourself to their pace first; the third line says what you seek can be obtained, and an answer tends to come when it suits them.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- Talking on terms the other side can accept makes it easier to close. Your position can shift, but stay upright: sincerity on the right path means no blame.
- Lost things and people
- Likely to be found. It was probably picked up by someone in passing or moved along with other things. Ask whoever you were with recently, and check near water: the sink, the bathroom counter.
Making a decision
Go ahead; adjusting to circumstances works better than holding to the original plan. Rest when it is time to rest instead of pushing through.
If you are…
Sui (Following) says what you are in charge of changes, and steadfastness brings good fortune: the role and the boss shift, so adapt and stay upright. Watch what the new partners care about and adjust how you work. No need to pick sides yet.
Going along with the group is fun, and Sui (Following) is about following gladly. If the schedule gets too packed, tell whoever planned it. Rest at your own pace in the evenings; you don't have to join every outing.
This is the reading when no line is changing. With changing lines, Zhu Xi’s method says which line to read, and the result page after a casting tells you directly.
元亨。利貞。无咎。
Great success. Steadfastness pays. No blame.
Lake over Thunder: Dui (Lake) above, Zhen (Thunder) below. Thunder sinks into the lake, the way thunder goes quiet as the year turns to autumn. Below moves, above is glad: one side acts and the other joyfully goes along. That is Sui (Following).
Nine at the beginning
官有渝，貞吉。出門交有功。
What one is in charge of changes. Steadfastness brings good fortune. Going out the gate to mix with others brings achievement.
Your role, direction or surroundings are about to change. Don't stay inside your familiar circle. Get out, talk to people, look around, and go with the right people; that is where the gains are.
Small Image: 官有渝，從正吉也。出門交有功，不失也。
Six in the second place
係小子，失丈夫。
Clinging to the little boy, one loses the grown man.
You are reaching for what is close and easy and passing over what is solid and worth more. You can't have both, so be clear about who or what you are actually following.
Small Image: 係小子，弗兼與也。
Six in the third place
係丈夫，失小子。隨有求得，利居貞。
Clinging to the grown man, one loses the little boy. Following, what you seek you can obtain. It pays to stay put and remain steadfast.
You picked the side with more foresight and reliability, and gave up some short-term comfort or goodwill. That trade is sound. You can ask for what you want, as long as your motives stay clean.
Small Image: 係丈夫，志舍下也。
Nine in the fourth place
隨有獲，貞凶。有孚在道，以明，何咎。
Following brings gains, yet even steadfastness brings misfortune. With sincerity on the right path, acting in the open, what blame could there be?
People increasingly listen to you and the results get credited to you, which can make those above you uneasy. Hand credit and decisions back where they belong and work in the open; that is what defuses the risk.
Small Image: 隨有獲，其義凶也。有孚在道，明功也。
Nine in the fifth place
孚于嘉，吉。
Sincere toward the good. Good fortune.
The people you work with deserve trust, and you are treating them honestly. Commit to the partnership or relationship now; both sides tend to grow from it.
Small Image: 孚于嘉，吉；位正中也。
Six at the top
拘係之，乃從維之。王用亨于西山。
Held fast and bound, then tied on further. The king makes an offering on the Western Mountain.
A relationship or commitment has you firmly tied, and it has reached its last stage. That bond can be deep trust or a grip you can't loosen. Ask yourself whether it is still what you want.
Small Image: 拘係之，上窮也。
隨，剛來而下柔，動而說，隨。大亨貞，无咎，而天下隨時，隨時之義大矣哉！
Sui (Following): the firm comes and places itself beneath the yielding; there is movement, and gladness in response: hence the name. Great success and steadfastness, no blame, and all under heaven follow the time. Great indeed is the meaning of Sui: moving with the time.
The Image澤中有雷，隨；君子以嚮晦入宴息。
Thunder in the midst of the lake: this is Sui (Following). The noble person, seeing this, goes indoors at nightfall to rest.
The Sequence: why it comes here豫必有隨，故受之以隨。
Before this comes Yu (Enthusiasm). When people are at ease and glad, others naturally follow, so Yu (Enthusiasm) is followed by Sui (Following).
Miscellaneous Notes隨无故也，蠱則飭也。
Sui (Following) means dropping the old and holding no fixed ideas as you move with the times. Its pair, Gu (Repairing Decay), is the old gone bad and needing to be put in order.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Sui mean for love?
Go out more and be willing to match other people's pace; someone tends to show up. The second and third lines are about choosing: hold on to the small thing and you lose the big one, so know which you want. The firm comes down beneath the yielding: when the stronger one of you is willing to bend, things run smoothly. Accommodating each other is good, but keep your own views.
What does Sui mean for work?
Look for a good manager or a team with a clear direction. The first line says going out the gate to mix with others brings achievement: go to events and ask around, because the opening tends to come from outside. A good time to line up with the bigger direction, join a strong team or take on a new split of duties. Watch first, then follow. Don't scramble for position.
With Sui, will what I am waiting for come?
It depends on timing and can't be rushed. Fit yourself to their pace first; the third line says what you seek can be obtained, and an answer tends to come when it suits them.
With Sui, will I find what I lost?
Likely to be found. It was probably picked up by someone in passing or moved along with other things. Ask whoever you were with recently, and check near water: the sink, the bathroom counter.
A hexagram answers one question; your chart shows the whole of you and your year.
The classical text follows the standard edition of the Zhouyi. The plain readings are Xingge’s own, offered as a reference, not as the final word.