Takashima Ekidan · Hexagram 17 Lake over Thunder, Sui: Sublime success; favorable to constancy; no blame.

[17] Lake over Thunder, Sui

Sui: The lake is above and thunder below. Zhen rouses below and Dui is open above; their currents flow through, so movement within is not self-directed but follows the outside, and therefore it is called “following,” giving the hexagram its name. Dui is the youngest daughter and Zhen the eldest son; the youngest daughter follows the eldest son—this is the meaning of following. Dui is the lake and Zhen the thunder; thunder shakes within the lake, and the lake follows by moving—this is the image of following. Both its meaning and image are taken from yang descending below yin, with yin necessarily delighting and following. As Zhu Xi said, “This moves and that rejoices, and thus following is formed.” The Sequence of the Hexagrams says, “Yu must have following; therefore it is followed by Sui.” The way of pleasure means that things come to follow oneself, while oneself also follows things; this is why Sui follows Yu.

Sui: Sublime success; favorable to constancy; no blame.



▲ Seal script: Sui

The body of the hexagram is Zhen, which trembles and moves from below, while Dui above is responsive and joyful; following this responsive harmony is Sui. It involves setting aside oneself, following others, and gladly taking what is good in others as one's own goodness; thus the way of Sui can bring great success. Zhen is vigorous and obtains Qian, hence “sublime success”; Xun in the earth is hard and salty, combining with Kun, hence “favorable to constancy.” The Miscellaneous Hexagrams says, “Sui is without cause,” meaning that above and below each follow their proper place and are at peace, without waiting for anything to be done. Without cause there is no affair; without an affair, what blame could there be? Yet if constancy and correctness are lost, one twists oneself to cater to others and can easily incur blame; this too is a warning.

The Tuan Commentary says: In Sui, the firm comes down and places itself below; the yielding moves and rejoices—this is following. Great success through constancy and correctness, with no blame; then all under heaven follow the times. How great is the meaning of following the times!

This hexagram originally comes from Pi, with Kun below and Qian above. Pi follows strength through compliance. Now the top line of Pi descends into the first line of Kun and becomes Zhen; its first yang line is the ruler of the formed hexagram. The first line of Pi rises into the top line of Qian and becomes Dui. Thus yang descends below yin, the high lowers itself to the low, yang moves and yin rejoices; things come to follow me, and I also follow things. This is Sui: “the firm comes down below the yielding; movement and joy—following.” This is the meaning of following. A ruler following goodness, subjects obeying commands, students following righteousness, and children following teachers are all forms of following. So too is humanity following Heaven, desire following principle, and evil following the right—these are the good forms of following. The way of Sui is favorable when upright; otherwise it is perverse following, which violates the times. The noble person moves with the times and rejoices with the times, each finding what is appropriate; therefore everything undertaken succeeds, and it is said: “Sui: great success through constancy and correctness; no blame.” The meaning of Sui is to follow through movement; without movement one cannot follow. It is to follow through joy; without joy one will not wish to follow. Thunder arises below and rainwater descends above; the lake follows the thunder, the upper follows the lower. If the proper time is violated, thunder does not move and the lake does not rejoice; above and below will not follow one another. Not knowing the way of following means failing to accord with the time. Extended to all under Heaven, yin and yang, firmness and yielding are all the same. Hence it says, “All under Heaven follow the times.” How great is the meaning of Sui’s time!

If this hexagram is applied to the state, the inner trigram represents the people: they act diligently in their occupations and dare not resist the government above, but follow whatever the government commands. The outer trigram represents the government: it does not wield authority oppressively, but issues orders designed to please the people. Thus ruler and people above and below become intimate and harmonious; those above advocate and those below comply, the world is peaceful, and people’s hearts are calm. This is the time of Following, expressed as: “Following: supreme success; beneficial steadfastness; no blame.” At such a time, the sage-like clarity of the fifth yang line is above, occupying the centered and correct position, broad-minded and completely impartial, mutually trusting in goodness. The ruler can empty himself and follow his ministers, while the ministers become even more respectful and follow the ruler. Therefore, the first line has “change” yet does not lose its correctness; the second has “attachment” yet cannot escape partiality; the third, by “dwelling in steadfastness,” “gains”; the fourth, by being “on the Way,” has no blame; and the top line, by “following and maintaining,” “uses offerings.” In short, following what is right is auspicious, while following what is wrong is disastrous. The fault does not lie in Following itself; the one who follows wrongly brings the fault upon himself. When ministers follow the ruler and communicate with sincerity, there is “supreme success.” Affairs must be “on the Way,” and one must follow with correctness; hence “beneficial steadfastness.” In this way, when the ruler follows the ministers, their remonstrances are accepted and their words are heard; when ministers follow the ruler, every order is obeyed and every command is carried out. Thus movement evokes joy, and joy responds to movement; those above and below follow one another, affairs of government achieve “great success.” Therefore it says: “How great is the meaning of following the times!”

Applied to human affairs, this hexagram concerns using strength to follow weakness. Strong and firm people unwilling to lower themselves before others often cause human hearts to become divided, and their undertakings generally fail. If they can use firmness to lower themselves before gentleness and arrange matters appropriately, everyone will surely submit; what blame could there be? Following means not insisting on one's own views, but setting oneself aside to follow others and taking their good qualities as one's own. Its mechanism is swift, its principle smooth, and its results easy to achieve; hence “sublime success.” Yet the way of following may be upright or evil. If one is wholly given to softness and compliance, one will twist the Way to curry favor; if overly accommodating and eager to please, one will violate the Way to win praise. This is losing the correctness of following. Only when one's movement and joy both follow the time, inwardly losing neither oneself nor outwardly losing others, can following attain correctness. Then how could there be blame? Hence “favorable to constancy; no blame.” In the Tuan Commentary of the I Ching, the phrase “sublime success, favorable to constancy” appears seven times: in Qian, Kun, Tun, Sui, Lin, and Wuwang, all in the Upper Canon, and in Ge, one hexagram of the Lower Canon. All are times of great achievement. When one gains the momentum of the time, it is called “sublime success, favorable to constancy.” The explanation of this phrase is detailed under Qian and should be consulted there. The meaning of following the times is very great. Applied to the transformations of nature, Zhen is spring and the eastern hexagram, when all things follow it into life; Dui is autumn and the western hexagram, when all things follow it into completion. Thus spring gives birth, summer grows, autumn completes, and winter stores—each follows its time. The principles under Heaven are all so: without movement there is nothing to follow, and without joy one cannot follow. This is the meaning of Sui; human affairs are no different.

Surveying this hexagram as a whole, it has three yang and three yin lines. First Nine meets Six Two with yang following yin; Nine Five's trust in Top Six is likewise yang following yin. Six Two, yin in a yin position, is yin following yin, hence “bound.” Where there is binding there must be loss; although danger is not stated, the danger can be understood. Six Three, yin in a yang position, is yin following yang. Because it is yin it is also called “bound,” but it is bound to what ought to be bound to; binding is following, hence “favorable to abiding in constancy.” Nine Four follows yin by virtue of yang and is close to Nine Five; firm and having gains, it is ominous in the way of a minister. Only by touching others with sincerity and protecting them with wisdom can blame be avoided. Nine Five is the honored position, the source of the upper movement and lower joy; taking people and making their goodness one's own, its auspiciousness is supreme. Top Six, soft and compliant at the extreme of Sui, is the one who follows to the utmost; if it uses its binding well, the binding too attains correctness. In summary, the way of Sui should move according to the times, follow what is appropriate in proper measure, dwell in utmost sincerity, and act with great impartiality. Then it can not only move the multitude, but also be used in offerings to the Supreme Deity, leading all under Heaven to follow the times. The noble person observes this line and understands that the meaning of following the times is very great. The preceding hexagram is Yu; pleasure brings following the times without resistance. The Sequence Commentary says, “Yu must have Sui, therefore it is followed by Sui.” If people can be humble and thereby attain pleasure, they can rejoice and follow the times. Without humility, how can one attain pleasure? Without pleasure, how can one follow? The three have the same Way, and their opportunities arise from one another; opportunity lies only in time, and nothing accords with time better than following. Yet “following must eventually have affairs”; after affairs arise comes Gu. This is why Gu follows Sui. Thus Sui is like King Wen serving Yin, while Gu is like King Wu founding Zhou. The I Ching is a hidden treasury of the unfathomable spirit, a wondrous storehouse of the round and subtle. Viewed in the myriad things and extended to the myriad affairs, it is nowhere absent and encompasses nothing that it does not contain. Without the Way of the divine sages, how could it be so?

The Commentary on the Image says: Thunder within the lake: Following. Thus the superior person, as dusk approaches, enters and rests in quiet.

This hexagram has the yang of Zhen sunk into the yin of Dui, presenting an image of concealment and latency. The Commentary on the Image says, “Thunder within the lake: Following.” It does not speak of thunder moving, but of thunder being contained. The Original Meaning explains this as thunder hidden within the lake, which grasps its purport deeply; for the meaning is drawn from thunder when its power lies dormant. Thus, observing this image, the junzi does not speak of action, but only of “entering repose at dusk.” Thunder lies hidden in winter, while people enter repose “as darkness approaches”; each follows its season. The junzi responds to Heaven and acts according to the time. When the time is “as darkness approaches,” he withdraws indoors and rests to nourish himself, arranging his daily life according to the season and simply keeping himself at ease. When he moves, he emerges together with thunder; when he is still, he withdraws together with thunder. “Making music and exalting virtue” in Yu, “not treading what is not ritual” in Great Power, and “abundantly responding to the season and nurturing” in Innocence all follow the movement of spring thunder. Closing the passes and resting travelers in Return, and entering repose at dusk in Following, both follow the concealment of autumn thunder. To set aside the troubles of a hundred undertakings and seek the ease of a single pillow is to nourish the spirit after its exertions, preparing it for future use. Therefore, physical rest is shared by ordinary people, but rest of the mind belongs uniquely to the junzi. Even when endowed with both talent and virtue, the junzi must adapt to the proper time; otherwise he too will incur blame. Hence, when meeting the time of Following, he conceals his wisdom, hides his virtue, declines office and emolument, cultivates obscurity in accordance with the time, and embraces the Way while dwelling in seclusion. King Wen’s service to Yin and Zhou, and Goujian’s concealment at Kuaiji, both embodied the meaning of entering repose at dusk. This is why it says, “The junzi, in accordance with this, as darkness approaches, enters and rests.” The nuclear trigrams three-four-five form Xun, and two-three-four form Gen. Xun means entering, while Gen means stopping: this is the image of entering and then stopping to rest.

　　[Divination]
○ Asked about current fortunes: Your circumstances are ordinary for now; it is advisable to remain concealed temporarily. Travel far away will be favorable next year, and in the fifth year you may gain profit.


○ Asked about warfare: Retreat and hold your position. Next year you should achieve a minor success; only after six years will all the enemies be bound and captured.

○ Asked about business: Some goods will be difficult to sell for a time, but profit can be made next spring.

○ Asked about the household: Guard against hidden disturbances or apparitions; there may be much fear at night.

○ Asked about litigation: There may be the disaster of imprisonment; next year also beware of conscription and travel far away. Ominous.

○ Asked about a lost object: Look for it among the bedding and pillows.

○ Question about pregnancy: A girl will be born.

○ Asking about a traveler: The person will return at once.

○ Asked about travel: Next year will be favorable.

Initial Nine: The ruling authority undergoes change; constancy is auspicious. Going out the gate and making associations brings achievement.

The Commentary on the Image says: “The ruling authority undergoes change”: following what is right is auspicious. “Going out the gate and making associations brings achievement”: one does not lose one’s way.

In this hexagram, the meaning of each of the six lines is established through following another person, specifically emphasizing proximity and following rather than the relating line. “The ruling authority” refers to the mind as the governing faculty; in everything people do, the mind directs it. “Change” means alteration; “undergoes change” means changing what one is responsible for directing. Although authority is valued for maintaining its principles, in the time of Following one must understand expedient change. Change here means adapting to the time and following what circumstances require. This line is firm and in its proper position, and is the governing line of the hexagram. As the ruler, it must not follow others, so the text does not say “following.” Since it changes yet attains correctness, it says, “Constancy is auspicious.” Going out the gate broadens what one sees and increases what one hears. Without being submerged in private interests, following only what is good, one follows without missing the proper time and changes without losing correctness. By emptying oneself and listening to others, one forms broad associations and achieves results; hence, “Going out the gate and making associations brings achievement.”

　　[Divination]
○ Asked about current fortunes: You are presently at the point of changing fortunes and entering a new cycle. Any movement will be favorable, especially going out.


○ Asked about business: The goods should be transported and sold elsewhere; profit will result.

○ Asked about the household: Renovation or construction is auspicious; moving elsewhere is even more favorable.

○ Asked about warfare: Change from striking east to striking west, and from attacking south to attacking north; this will be auspicious.

○ Asked about illness: The medicine may not suit the condition; change the medication for good fortune. Seeking a physician from afar may be even more favorable.

○ Asked about a lost object: Search outside the gate; it will be found.

○ Pregnancy: A boy will be born.

[Case] A divination was performed concerning a friend, a certain person, taking up an official post; the result was Following changing to Gathering.

The judgment said: This hexagram has Dui above and Zhen below, a yang firmness lying dormant and following yin softness; this is where the meaning of Following is taken. You, having obtained the initial line, although your learning is firm and strong, must nevertheless bow and follow the ignorant and yielding; this too is required by the times. Anyone newly entering official service is unfamiliar with affairs and must follow the directions of experienced elders in everything; this is another aspect of the Way of Following. You cannot act independently here, so you should set aside yourself and follow others—“The ruling authority undergoes change; constancy is auspicious.” Nor should you remain alone; you should associate widely to gather benefit—“Going out the gate and making associations brings achievement.” The outcome later proved exactly as this divination indicated.

Six in the Second Place: Clinging to the young boy, one loses the mature man.

The Commentary on the Image says: “Clinging to the young boy”: one cannot have both at once.

Firmness that can stand on its own is called Following; softness that cannot stand on its own is called clinging. Thus the first, fourth, and fifth lines are firm and do not speak of clinging, while the second, third, and top lines are yielding and all speak of clinging. Following is public and impartial, so there is no loss; clinging is private, so there is loss. Six in the Second Place is yielding in a yin position and, being separated in position from Four, becomes attached to Four. Four is yang dwelling in a yin position and is therefore called “the young boy”; being separated by position is what makes attachment. By clinging to Four, it cannot be near the Initial line. The Initial line is the ruler of Following and is called “the mature man”; hence, “Clinging to the young boy, one loses the mature man.” Older interpretations say that the Second line clings to the Initial line, losing the Initial line; because its yang is still weak, it is called the young boy, while Five, occupying the honored position, is called the mature man. But the Initial line is the ruler of the hexagram—how can it be called the young boy? Five is the ruler’s position—how can it be called the mature man? Moreover, the yang line is the mature man, and the Initial line is yang; to call it the young boy reverses the meaning. In what one follows, if one obtains correctness one keeps far from evil; if one follows what is wrong, one loses what is right. Six in the Second Place clings to the wrong object and loses the right one. Although no statement of misfortune appears, its inauspiciousness is self-evident. The Commentary on the Image says, “One cannot have both at once,” meaning that the Way of Heaven and Earth does not permit having both completely: if one clings to the young boy, one must lose the mature man. This is only natural.

　　[Divination]
○ Asked about current fortunes: Your circumstances are presently turned upside down; proceed with caution and examine yourself.


○ Asked about business: There is a fear of grasping a small gain and losing a large one.

○ Asked about the household: Yin and yang are reversed; a woman or petty person may seize power, causing the head of the household to be controlled.

○ Asked about warfare: You can only capture enemy soldiers; you will not yet achieve the victory of killing the general and seizing the banners.

○ Question about pregnancy: A girl will be born.

○ Asked about a lost object: A small item may be recovered, but a large item will certainly be lost.

○ Asked about marriage: It is probably not a good match.

[Case] The magistrate Bito of Kumamoto Prefecture had once studied the I Ching with me. A daughter of his clan was eighteen years old and very beautiful. At that time, a prominent gentleman whose wife had died sought to marry her through a matchmaker. The family therefore asked for a divination concerning the auspiciousness or inauspiciousness of the match. The result was Following changing to Dui.

The judgment said: This hexagram is the image of firmness following yielding, not a time when yielding follows firmness. In your divination about marrying off your daughter, the daughter’s family represents yielding and the man’s family represents firmness. The line image has firmness following yielding, which is markedly contrary to the situation. The second line says, “Clinging to the young boy, one loses the mature man.” I suspect the prominent gentleman must be an old man, and your daughter may not like him. She should marry a young man instead; then the two sides will suit each other.

Hearing this, the family seemed to awaken and said: Marriage is a woman’s lifelong affair. One must not distort a daughter’s wishes to satisfy a parent’s preference. They therefore declined the prominent gentleman’s proposal.

Six in the Third Place: Clinging to the mature man, one loses the young boy. Following brings what is sought; it is favorable to remain constant.

The Commentary on the Image says: “Clinging to the mature man”: the will abandons what is below.

“The mature man” refers to the Initial Nine; “the young boy” refers to the Fourth Nine. The Initial line is the ruler of Following. Being firm in a yang position, it goes out the gate and achieves results, so it is called “the mature man.” The Fourth is firm in a yin position; its meaning is ominous, so it is called “the young boy.” Clinging to the Initial line means losing the Fourth, hence “clinging to the mature man, one loses the young boy,” exactly the reverse of the Second line. The Initial line originally wishes to go out the gate and seek associations. Obtaining the Following of the Third, it will surely become close and friendly with it; thus the Third follows the Initial and obtains what it seeks. If the Initial line follows others in seeking people, and merely bends itself to suit them, then even gain becomes loss; hence “it is favorable to remain constant.” Although Six in the Third Place is weak in ability, it occupies its proper position. It clings to the initial “constancy is auspicious” and loses the Fourth’s “constancy is ominous,” thereby gaining the benefit of remaining constant. This is the good of the Way of Following: seeking the Way and attaining the Way, seeking benevolence and attaining benevolence, or attaining it spontaneously without seeking. The nuclear Xun signifies nearby benefit, hence “what is sought is obtained.” “Remaining constant” means keeping to the ordinary, stopping within one’s allotted portion, securing oneself through the Way, judging oneself through righteousness, and not moving rashly in pursuit of something. The Commentary on the Image says, “The will abandons what is below.” Yang is above and yin below; the Third occupies a yang position, so what it clings to is yang and what it loses is yin. Hence it says, “the will joins with what is below.” One interpretation says that the mature man refers to the Fourth and the young boy to the Initial line, differing from the Second line, where Five is called the mature man. Moreover, the Fourth says “constancy is ominous,” so how can it be called the mature man? The Initial line “achieves results,” so how can it be called the young boy? This also does not accord with the explanation that firmness following yielding is Following, while yielding following others is clinging.

　　[Divination]
○ Asked about current fortunes: You are presently entering a favorable cycle. Seeking wealth or fame, everything will go as desired.


○ Asked about business: The small goes and the large comes; profit is certain.

○ Asked about warfare: You will capture the enemy general alive and certainly achieve a great victory.

○ Asked about the household: The family will be prosperous, but beware of misfortune affecting the young children.

○ Asked about illness: Adults will be unharmed, but children or inferiors may fare poorly.

○ Asked about pregnancy: There is a fear that the child will be born but not survive.

○ Asked about a lost object: It will be found.

○ Asked about marriage: It indicates marriage into a distinguished family.

[Case] The abbot Bianzheng of Jōbutsu Temple of the Jōdo school in Kanagawa Town was a disciple of the eminent monk Bianyu and studied the Lesser Vehicle. One day he came to ask me to lecture on the I Ching. He was moved to understanding and wished to study the I Ching, and also asked whether he could successfully complete his studies, requesting a divination. The result was Following changing to Revolution.

The judgment said: Although the hexagram Following means firmness following yielding, this is not so in the lines: yang lines are called following, yin lines are called clinging. You, sir, are studying the I Ching with me. That means probing the subtle essence of the Buddhist canon within and seeking beside it the mysterious subtleties of the divine I Ching. What you seek is therefore the Way of the gods and spirits, not the trivial minor affairs of the dusty world; hence it is called, “Clinging to the mature man, one loses the young boy.” Thus, when you follow me in studying the I Ching, even if there are difficult matters in the Buddhist canon that are hard to understand, you can naturally seek the gods and ask them. What you seek will surely be attained; in this life and the life to come, you will gain peace of mind and certainty. Hence, “Following brings what is sought; it is favorable to remain constant.”

Hearing this, the abbot was delighted. From then on he studied the I Ching and remains tireless to this day.

Nine in the Fourth Place: Following brings gain; constancy is ominous. With trustfulness on the Way, bringing it to clarity, what blame could there be?

The Commentary on the Image says: “Following brings gain”: its meaning is ominous. “With trustfulness on the Way, bringing it to clarity”: this is the achievement of making one’s merit clear.

“Gain” is a term for taking what does not belong to oneself. “Following brings gain” means winning the hearts of the realm and making them follow oneself. This is privately appropriating what one has gained instead of returning it to Five, thereby failing in the Way of a minister; hence “constancy is ominous.” The Way of a minister is nothing other than mutual trust through sincerity. “Sincerity makes clarity”; with clarity there is no suspicion, and without suspicion ruler and minister are of one mind. Virtue is extended to the people and the people follow. Those who gain the people’s following and lead them together in following the ruler can complete the ruler’s achievements and bring order to the state; all this depends on mutual trust according to the Way. What blame could there be? Otherwise, suspicion arises above and below. Even what one ought to gain may invite the suspicion of using merit to bully one’s superior; then even correctness is ominous. Nine in the Fourth Place possesses yang firmness and occupies the position of a great minister. High ability invites slander, and a weighty position arouses suspicion. The moment he becomes partial, disaster is summoned. Only if what is held within is wholly sincere, and what is carried out externally follows principle, serving the ruler by fulfilling the Way and protecting himself by clarifying the crucial points, can he avoid suspicion of threatening the ruler despite his high position and avoid suspicion of monopolizing power despite his influence. The ruler praises his yielding, the people submit to his humility. At the time of Following, he harmonizes with what Following requires; what blame could there be? Hence, “With trustfulness on the Way, bringing it to clarity, what blame could there be?” “With trustfulness” means having the trust of Nine in the Fifth Place; “clarity” means making one’s intentions clear. Since ancient times, ministers who could not preserve themselves to the end amid merit and fame mostly failed because their hearts lacked trustworthiness and they could not make their intentions clear. Xiao He and Han Xin of Han both received important commissions from their ruler. Han Xin requested the fief of Qi and sought kingship in Chu; nothing he desired was denied him. In time, accumulated suspicion bred resentment, and he ultimately could not avoid disaster. Although Xiao He had long understood Emperor Gaozu’s mind and preserved his life to the end, he still suffered the humiliation of being shackled and struck; thus he too had not fully realized the meaning of “trustfulness” and “bringing it to clarity.” Guo Ziyi of Tang, by contrast, held power that tilted the empire, yet his sovereign did not envy him; his merit surpassed that of his age, yet his sovereign did not suspect him. He may be said to have attained “trustfulness on the Way.” The Commentary on the Image says, “With trustfulness on the Way, bringing it to clarity: this is the achievement of making one’s merit clear.” Mentioning achievement explains the line’s “what blame could there be?” “Trustfulness” is the Way of causing Following through trust; “making merit clear” is making the achievement of Following manifest.

One interpretation says that “Following brings gain” means having power in one’s own hands and acting as one pleases; “constancy” refers to the state’s proper affairs; “ominous” means suspicion of usurpation and encroachment; “trustfulness” means exhausting one’s sincerity; “on the Way” means carrying out the Way fully; and “what blame could there be?” means not failing in the duties of a minister. This interpretation is also coherent.

　　[Divination]
○ Asked about current fortunes: There are both good and bad aspects at present. Favorable in odd-numbered months, unfavorable in even-numbered months; next year will be auspicious.


○ Asked about business: After making a profit, beware of an unexpected disaster; proceed only after the matter has been clarified.

○ Asked about the household: Whether newly purchased or newly built, it will be unfavorable.

○ Asked about warfare: After a minor victory, beware of a major defeat.

○ Asked about illness: Ominous at first, auspicious later.

○ Asked about litigation: The initial trial will be unfavorable; appeal to a higher court and there will be no blame.

○ Asked about a lost object: It will be difficult to find for a while; wait until later and it will appear.

[Case] In the sixth month of the twenty-seventh year of the Meiji era, an acquaintance, Iwaya Matsudaira, came to tell me: In past years the government issued former samurai families certificates for bonds paying stipends. Among the former samurai families of Kagoshima Prefecture, some had been omitted from this provision. They now wished to apply retroactively for the grant and asked for a divination on whether it would be approved. The result was Following changing to Difficulty at the Beginning.

The judgment says: “Following with gain” means earnestly seeking to obtain something. The samurai of Kagoshima Prefecture, at the time of the Restoration, achieved great and glorious accomplishments and were generously favored by the government, as everyone knew. Now they wished to petition for a grant of favor. The divination yielded the fourth line of Following: yang occupying a yin place, relying on the government’s favor, their intention was to demand forcefully and make every effort to ensure success. Therefore, the Commentary on the Image says, “Following with gain—the meaning is inauspicious.” Yet if they petition the authorities through the path of fairness, approval will certainly be granted; this is what is meant by “There is trust in the path: the merit is made clear.”

[Example] A certain eminent gentleman came to ask for a divination concerning the fortunes of a certain distinguished person. The casting yielded Following changing to Sprouting.

The judgment says: In this hexagram, if I can follow others, others will also follow me. The fourth line was obtained. The distinguished person is in his current office, and everyone is happy to serve as his followers. Yet they follow not because they submit to his virtue and capacity, but because they wish to attach themselves to his power and influence. If he therefore prides himself on having won the people, that is an inauspicious path; hence, “Continuing steadfastly is inauspicious.” At a time when the people’s hearts are turning toward him, if he meets them with sincerity, examines himself with clarity, and returns whatever he gains to his sovereign rather than making it his private possession, the way can be trusted and the merit made clear. What fault could there be? If he does the opposite, he will scarcely avoid blame.

Nine in the fifth place: Trust in the good; good fortune.

The Commentary on the Image says: “Trust in the good; good fortune.” The position is central and correct.

“Good” means what is virtuous; it means choosing what is good and following it. Following goodness is not following a particular person. “Trust” means mutually communicating through a heart of genuine and undivided sincerity. “Good fortune” means that when the ruler is enlightened and the ministers worthy, the whole realm follows them, and none fails to submit to their transformation. Abandoning oneself to follow others, gladly taking from others what is good and making it one’s own virtue—this is what is called “trust in the good.” The fifth line is strong yang, central and correct, in the place of supreme honor. It is the master of the joy and willingness to follow throughout the hexagram: a sage ruler, moved by utmost sincerity, gladly follows the goodness of all under Heaven. The dignity of the sovereign is such that the rightness or wrongness of what he follows is entirely tied to the nation’s fortune or calamity. Esteeming and trusting the worthy is why it is auspicious. In this way he neither loses worthy people nor loses himself; it is the upright way of Following, called “trust in the good; good fortune.” The Commentary on the Image says, “The position is central and correct”: yang, strong and correct, occupies a yang place and thereby attains correctness; occupying a central and correct position and practicing the central and correct way, it is therefore good.

One interpretation says that this line, being strong yang, corresponds to the yielding and correct Upper Six, which, as yin in a yin place, symbolizes a woman. The present Nine in the fifth place trusts it and makes it a marriage, taking marriage rites as the meaning of a good ritual. The way of Following is nowhere more intimate than between husband and wife; the governance and transformation of the realm begin within the inner chambers. Hence, “trust in the good.” This interpretation is also reasonable.

　　[Divination]
○ Inquiry about current fortunes: You are presently in a period of flourishing fortune; everything will turn out well.


○ Inquiry about business: Because the goods are fine and beautiful, profits will be multiplied a hundredfold.

○ Inquiry about the household: It must be a family that has accumulated virtue; everyone trusts and follows it, and it is esteemed throughout the community.

○ Inquiry about warfare: The army is united in heart and will certainly win; auspicious.

○ Inquiry about marriage: A harmonious union lasting a hundred years; greatly auspicious.

○ Inquiry about litigation: Reconciliation.

○ Inquiry about illness: Auspicious.

○ Pregnancy: A boy will be born.

[Example] In a certain month of the third year of the Meiji era, responding to a summons from a distinguished person, the person said: “There is something for which I would trouble you with a divination.” The casting yielded Following changing to Arousing.

The judgment says: This hexagram corresponds to autumn and winter. The thunder of Arousing is hidden in the lake of Joy, showing the strong following the weak. The Tuan Commentary calls it “The firm comes down and places itself beneath; the yielding moves and is pleased; great success, correctness, and no blame.” In the whole hexagram, the first, second, fifth, and sixth lines are firm following yielding, so they are said to occupy appropriate positions; the fourth and third lines are yielding bound to firm, so they are said to be out of position. Only the fourth line is attached to the yielding and can lead the multitude to follow the Nine in the fifth place. From this we see that one who possesses authority can cause the multitude to follow him, and lead them together in following the ruler represented by the Nine in the fifth place. Since the divination obtained the Nine in the fifth place, it is evident that the people of the realm all follow the ruler’s commands. Heaven’s mandate is thus; therefore the Tuan Commentary says, “Great indeed is the meaning of following the seasons!”

Not long afterward, an order was issued to abolish the domains and establish prefectures.

[Example] A certain councillor of the Senate was transferred to become governor of a certain prefecture. Before departing for his post, he asked me to divine the principles by which he should govern. The casting yielded Following changing to Arousing.

The judgment says: The hexagram Following contains the meaning of the firm following the yielding; it symbolizes lowering the honored to follow the lowly. Now, Your Excellency, if you govern that prefecture by following the people’s sentiments and do not involve private intentions, the people will naturally rejoice and be pleased, and can follow, submit, and return to allegiance. This is called “Trust in the good; good fortune.”

Previously, disorder and disputes had continued without end in that prefecture. After the official took office and governed accordingly, calm, stability, and harmony were achieved, and the troubles came to an end.

Six in the sixth place: Bind and fasten it; then follow and secure it. The king uses it to make offerings at the Western Mountain.

The Commentary on the Image says: “Bind and fasten it”—the following has reached its limit.

“Bind” means to seize and not abandon; “secure” means to join and connect. Guan Zhong said: “Ritual, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame are called the four foundations of a state; they are the way to hold the people together.” The object followed here is held with the utmost earnest and lingering sincerity, firmly bound in a way that cannot be undone. At the extreme of sincerity, one can win the ruler’s heart and make offerings acceptable to the spirits; this is the highest principle of Following. “The king” refers to the King of Zhou; “the Western Mountain” refers to Mount Qi. This line is yin in the culminating position of Following, representing the utmost degree to which the ministers and people of the realm follow and submit to transformation. Therefore it no longer speaks of following; instead, it binds the Nine in the fifth place, and the Nine in the fifth place in turn follows and secures what binds it. Occupying the culmination of Following, it offers utmost sincerity to the ruler: profound mutual understanding, steadfast mutual trust, with no separation from beginning to end. It is like something a person loves and treasures, fearing only to lose it: having “bound and fastened it,” one then secures it further—what is meant by holding it earnestly to one’s breast and never losing it. In ancient times, the Great King of Zhou fled the calamity of the Rong and Di peoples, left Bin, and moved to the foot of Mount Qi. The people who followed him were as numerous as those returning to a marketplace; this is “bind and fasten it,” and the Great King in turn held them together through the Way. When the Great King left Bin, circumstances had reached an extremity, yet people followed him all the more; thus the Zhou house’s enterprise began to rise from that time. In the time of King Wen, all under Heaven were submissive, yet King Wen still maintained the status of a subject. He made offerings to the Great King at the Western Mountain within his domain, not daring to usurp the suburban ancestral rite reserved for a king. Firmly binding the spirits was precisely a means of binding himself firmly to the ruler. Thus the sincerity of this sixth line is enough to communicate with the spirits, and the spirits too follow it; this is called “The king uses it to make offerings at the Western Mountain.” In the Changes, there are three lines that say “the king uses it to make offerings”; all refer to the king’s action. Here, however, it is a worthy minister who makes offerings to the mountains and rivers, not the person represented by the line acting as king. If the king appoints such a person to preside over the sacrifices and all the spirits accept them, this shows that nothing enables a ruler to accord with Heaven’s heart more than employing worthy people. The Commentary on the Image says “the top has reached its limit”: “top” means “to esteem”; it means that the way of Following has reached its utmost, with nothing further to esteem.

　　[Divination]
○ Inquiry about current fortunes: At present you are struggling to make ends meet and things are not going very much to your liking.


○ Inquiry about business: It is solid, firmly established, and safe to undertake, but not every matter can yet proceed smoothly.

○ Inquiry about the household: Beware that restrictions may be too severe, causing the family to resent and suffer.

○ Inquiry about illness: Praying will bring good fortune.

○ Inquiry about marriage: A destined bond, like a red cord tied around the arm.

○ Inquiry about litigation: There may be the trouble of imprisonment and being bound.

○ Inquiry about a lost object: You yourself wrapped it up and hid it; it has not actually been lost.

○ Question about pregnancy: A girl will be born.

[Example] Nanbu Yamamoto Kanjiro was an old friend of mine. At the time of the Restoration, he took part in the Hakodate campaign and, during the frontier war, had a considerable reputation for bravery among the commanders. In July of Meiji 12, he visited my humble residence with five former domain samurai and said: “You have a fondness for discussing the Changes and take pleasure in it, but I find it very troublesome. How about replacing it with another pleasure? You yourself say that divinations from the Changes are invariably accurate and claim that the government cannot do without them. The army and navy involve the grave weight of human lives and the survival or ruin of the nation; the courts clarify right and wrong and distinguish justice from injustice—surely these too cannot do without divination. Yet in matters of the future, sometimes right and sometimes wrong, it may be difficult to know everything in advance. I replied: “I have heard that petty people laugh when they hear the Way; ‘if they do not laugh, it would not be the Way.’ Surely the Changes are not as you say!” For twenty years I have never set aside the Changes for a single day, because one hundred divinations have yielded one hundred confirmations. Hearing this, Mr. Yamamoto laughed and said: “If it is truly as you say, when will my life end? I wish to have one divination concerning the timing, so that I may know beforehand.” I replied: “That is extremely easy.” The casting yielded Following changing to Innocence.

The judgment says: Following is the eldest son of Arousing following the young daughter of Joy, and is also the Returning-Soul hexagram. Now the top line was obtained; your life may end within this year. The image of your wife and children performing a tomb sacrifice is precisely seen in the line text: “Bind and fasten it” means those connected to you; “secure it” means that you have children; “make offerings at the Western Mountain” means that you will be buried west of your residence.

After hearing this, Mr. Yamamoto gave a cold laugh, as though unconcerned; the other gentlemen were doubtful or amused. Then, in October of that year, a certain Nanbu sent me a letter saying: “Last night Mr. Yamamoto suddenly suffered a stroke and became paralyzed on one side, so he summoned his wife and children from the home province. Before they arrived, he asked to borrow a room at his detached residence in Kanagawa as lodging. Soon his wife and children came to receive him, and they returned together to Morimachi. By December he could no longer rise.” Thus all the gentlemen of that time who had laughed on hearing my words were astonished and amazed.

[Example] In October of Meiji 31, the Constitutional Party split into two. The former Progressive Party called itself the Constitutional Main Party, while the former Liberal Party called itself the Constitutional Party; each raised its own banner. At that time, the political strategists Inoue Kakugoro, Ozaki Saburo, Amemiya Keijiro, and others, seeing the Constitutional Party’s weak power, sought to make it support the Yamagata cabinet and, taking advantage of the situation, implement Count Itagaki’s advocated policy of nationalizing the railways. The three men came to ask whether the Constitutional Party’s cooperation with the cabinet would succeed, and the casting yielded Following changing to Innocence.

The judgment says: In this hexagram, the thunder of the lower trigram moves while the lake of the upper trigram rejoices. The Commentary on the Appended Statements says: “Hitch cattle to the ox-cart and horses to the carriage, draw heavy loads and travel far, benefiting the world—this is taken from Following.” From this we see that the Constitutional Party would be no different from following the government: it would sacrifice itself completely and carry through the government’s intentions. The top line was obtained. Its text says, “Bind and fasten it; then follow and secure it,” referring to close and intimate cooperation. “The king uses it to make offerings at the Western Mountain” means that, with the government obtaining the Constitutional Party’s assistance, the funds for expanding the army and navy would be secured as desired, and, amid the resulting joy, a ceremony would be held at the Yasukuni Shrine. The outcome later proved exactly as divined.