The world changes
A thing is not a fixed label but a temporary state in a process.
The I Ching does not begin with fortune
At an impasse, change;
through change, passage.
“穷则变，变则通，通则久。”Xici II: “At an impasse, things change; through change they find passage; with passage they endure.”
A situation cannot be judged outside the process that formed it. What time is it? What position do you occupy? Discern time and place before deciding whether to advance or withdraw.
Set change in motion ↓Sun departs, moon comes
moon departs, sun comes
cold departs, heat comes
heat departs, cold comes
I · Yin and yang
Not good and bad—alternation.
Yin and yang are not moral labels. They describe night and day, contraction and expansion, rest and exertion. Drag through one day: each phase has its place.
sun
moon
dawn06:00
midnightmidnight
yin 50yang 50
night ↔ daycontract ↔ expandrest ↔ growslow ↔ accelerate
II · Tendency
Change has direction; rise and decline have their time.
A seed does not become a tree in one step. Germination, growth, fullness, decline, and renewal form a continuous process. Move time forward and watch the turn at the height of growth.
NowGermination
Stored energy begins to become growth.
seedrenewal
III · Right time
The same act, a different meaning at a different time.
Following the time is not passive waiting. Conditions have an order. Choose a season, then decide what should be done.
winter
Water withdraws; living things conserve.
What time is it?
What should be done now?
Choose an actionAbility has not changed; conditions have.
IV · Right position
The person may not be wrong; the position may be.
The same capacity produces different results at different stages. Drag a role onto a stage, or select a role and then a position.
time × positionPlace one role in one stage
“Right position” does not rank people. It asks whether capacity and circumstance fit.
V · Six lines of Qian
The dragon is a curve of development.
From latency, appearance, and disciplined effort to testing, flight, and knowing when to withdraw. Move through six lines and see why the same dragon acts differently at each stage.
- First NineHidden dragon. Do not act.latent · conserve
- Nine in the SecondDragon appearing in the field.appear · enter relation
- Nine in the ThirdActive through the day.repeat · refine
- Nine in the FourthPerhaps leaping from the depths.test · transition
- Nine in the FifthFlying dragon in the heavens.right time · right place
- Top NineOverreaching dragon has regret.fullness · know retreat
hiddenoverreach
The time to act has not arrived. Preserve strength. This is not incapacity; time and position are not yet ready.
VI · Doubled trigrams
Sixty-four hexagrams grow from six lines.
Three lines form a trigram; two trigrams make sixty-four states. Choose upper and lower trigrams, or click any line to change it.
Upper trigram
Lower trigram
Qian above · Qian below乾
Heaven moves with vigor. Six yang lines describe sustained initiative.
A solid line is yang; a broken line is yin. Change one line and the relation described by the whole figure changes.
VII · First principles
The I Ching studies judgment within change.
It does not fix a person or situation in place. It asks: how is this changing, what stage has arrived, what position do you occupy, and should you advance, hold, or withdraw?
judgmenttime × positionbecomes meaningful
Yin and yang co-arise
Opposing forces condition one another; their relation matters more than praise or blame.
Action has its time
The same act at another stage may produce the opposite result.
Position must fit
Capacity works when responsibility and circumstance are proportionate.
时止则止，时行则行。Tuan commentary to Gen: “Stop when it is time to stop; act when it is time to act.”
VIII · Text
Return to the I Ching.
Know the time. Know the place. Know when to advance or withdraw.