Bi, six at the topHexagram 8, line 6 · Bi (Alliance) · changing to 20
The line
In plain wordsYou want to be close to people, but there is no head to it — no beginning, and no one you can follow. Nowhere to belong. Misfortune.
The Image commentary on this line
比之无首，无所終也。
"Drawing close with no head": there is nowhere to end.
The small Image commentary is the earliest explanation of the line texts. It usually explains a line from its position: where it stands, whether it holds the center, and which line answers it.
Verdict
止Hold back. This text describes a bad outcome. Carry on as you are and you will lose by it. Stop, step aside or change your approach. Do not force it.
How to read good fortune, misfortune, regret, humiliation and no blame →
Asking about work, love or money
- Work
- You hesitated too long. Everyone else has already picked a side, and only now do you want to join; there is no place left for you. Don't try to force your way in. Accept this, and find another way forward.
- Love
- When it was time to draw close, you kept watching from the sidelines; now that you want to, you can't find where to begin. Stop chasing for a response. What never had a beginning can't reach an end; let it go.
- Money
- Others teamed up and got going long ago, and only now do you want to follow; the gains have already been shared out. Don't squeeze in, and don't take risks trying to catch up. Let this one pass.
This is how to read it when this is the only changing line. With several changing lines, first see which text governs; for the hexagram as a whole, see Bi.
Line position
A yin line in a yin place: it is in its proper place. Its partner is the third line, which is also yin, so there is no answer from it.
Top place: the end of the matter. What reaches its limit turns. Know when to stop.
When you get this line
If this is the only changing line in your cast (three inscribed sides, old yin), this line is your answer. The primary hexagram is Bi (Alliance); when this line changes it becomes Guan (Contemplation): hexagram 8 changing to 20.
Which text to read with several changing lines →
Resulting hexagram · Guan (Contemplation)
Don't move yet. Take a good look.