隨
“Following” — King Wen #17
Following. Adapt to what is right in the moment; success comes by serving, not commanding.
The Judgment 卦辞
元亨，利貞，無咎。
Sui indicates that (under its conditions) there will be great progress and success. But it will be advantageous to be firm and correct. There will (then) be no error.— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
The Six Lines 爻辞
官有渝，貞吉；出門交有功。
The first NINE, undivided, shows us one changing the object of his pursuit; but if he be firm and correct, there will he good fortune. Going beyond (his own) gate to find associates, he will achieve merit.
系小子，失丈夫。
The second SIX, divided, shows us one who cleaves to the little boy, and lets go the man of age and experience.
系丈夫，失小子；隨有求得，利居貞。
The third SIX, divided, shows us one who cleaves to the man of age and experience, and lets go. the little boy. Such following will get what it seeks; but it will be advantageous to adhere to what is firm and correct.
隨有獲，貞凶；有孚在道，以明，何咎？
The fourth NINE, undivided, shows us one followed and obtaining (adherents). Though he be firm and correct, there will be evil. If he be sincere (however) in his course, and make that evident, into what error will he fall?
孚于嘉，吉。
The fifth NINE, undivided, shows us (the ruler) sincere in (fostering all) that is excellent. There will be good fortune.
拘繫之，乃從維之；王用亨于西山。
The topmost SIX, divided, shows us (that sincerity) firmly held and clung to, yea, and bound fast. (We see) the king with it presenting his offerings on the western mountain.
Reading the Picture
Hexagram 17 places thunder (震) beneath lake (兑) —movement breaking out of stillness below, joy lifting what it touches above. This is why the tradition reads it as “Following”:following. Adapt to what is right in the moment; success comes by serving, not commanding Whenever you cast this figure, the classical reading points back to that turning of forces.
Questions About Hexagram 17
What does 隨 (suí) mean?
Hexagram 17 of the I Ching is named 隨 (suí), usually rendered "Following" in English editions. Its figure pairs thunder (震) below with lake (兑) above.
Which trigrams form hexagram 17?
兑 (Lake) sits above and 震 (Thunder) sits below — the classical picture is movement breaking out of stillness beneath joy lifting what it touches.
How is hexagram 17 related to the other hexagrams?
Changing every line of hexagram 17 gives hexagram 18 — 蠱 (Correcting). Turned upside down it becomes hexagram 18 — 蠱 (Correcting). Its nuclear hexagram — the inner pattern of lines 2 through 5 — is hexagram 53 — 漸 (Infiltrating).
Ask your own question
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1 Legge, James. The Yi King, Sacred Books of the East vol. XVI (1899), public domain. Classical Chinese from the received Zhouyi text. · For reflection and entertainment — not financial, medical, or life advice.