隨Sui · Following
In one sentence
Go with the times and follow the right people, and you won't go wrong.
A situation of following. The point is not the following itself, but whom and what you follow. Read the situation clearly, choose what is good and follow it, and adapt when you need to; but what you follow must be legitimate. When it is time to rest, rest.
Asking about work, love or money
- Work
- Right now it is not your turn to set the direction; it is time to choose whom and which path to follow. Read the situation, go with the right people and the right methods, and change your mind when you should; there is no shame in that. But follow only what is right, and do not attach yourself to someone just because they are powerful. When the work is done, rest; do not push on.
- Love
- Between two people, one usually moves first and the other gladly follows. Being willing to accommodate the other person is good, provided they are worth it and the relationship is on a right footing. If you have no partner yet, do not follow just anyone for the sake of company; whom you follow matters more than whether you follow.
- Money
- With money, go with the larger current; do not fight it, and do not force a road of your own. You can follow reliable people and proven ways of doing things, but be clear about what you are following, and do not touch money that comes from the wrong place. When everyone is rushing in, look carefully before you follow.
This is the hexagram as a whole. If your cast has changing lines, the line text governs; each line's page has its own reading for work, love and money.
The judgment
In plain wordsThings go through in a big way, and it is favorable to stay true; only then is there no blame. Whether you follow others or have others follow you, the following has to be right.
The Tuan commentary
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: the firm comes and places itself below the yielding. Movement and gladness: Sui. "Great success" through staying true, "no blame", and all under heaven follows the time. Great indeed is the meaning of following the time!
The Tuan (“judgment”) commentary is one of the Ten Wings. It explains the hexagram name and the judgment from the two trigrams and the positions of the lines.
The image
澤中有雷，隨。君子以嚮晦入宴息。
Thunder within the lake: Sui (Following). The noble one, as dusk comes on, goes inside to rest.
The lines
Nine at the beginning
Text官有渝，貞吉。出門交有功。What one held to changes. Staying true brings good fortune. Going out the gate to mix with others brings achievement.In plain wordsYour original position has changed. As long as the change is a right one, there is good fortune; go out the door and mix with more people, not just the ones you are partial to, and you will have something to show for it. More on this line →
Six in the second place
Text係小子，失丈夫。Tied to the little boy, losing the grown man.In plain wordsHold on to the small one and you lose the big one. The convenience close at hand and the rightful one farther off can't both be kept — you can't hold firm, and you chose the near one. More on this line →
Six in the third place
Text係丈夫，失小子。隨有求得，利居貞。Tied to the grown man, losing the little boy. Following, one gets what one seeks. It is favorable to stay put and stay true.In plain wordsYou hold on to the big one and lose the small one. Following someone with real power, you get whatever you ask for; but this is not where you rightfully belong, and it smacks of flattery and social climbing, so you must settle down and keep to the right course. More on this line →
Nine in the fourth place
Text隨有獲，貞凶。有孚在道，以明，何咎。Following brings gains. Persisting brings misfortune. With sincerity, on the right path, and with clarity: what blame could there be?In plain wordsMany people follow you and the gains are great; but your momentum overshadows the one above you, so even doing things right brings misfortune. Only by being sincere at heart, keeping to the right path and doing everything in the open can you be without blame. More on this line →
Nine in the fifth place
Text孚于嘉，吉。Sincerity toward what is excellent. Good fortune.In plain wordsWholehearted trust in good people and good things. Good fortune. More on this line →
Six at the top
Text拘係之，乃從維之。王用亨于西山。Seized and bound, then tied fast as well. The king makes an offering on the Western Mountain.In plain wordsBound tightly together, impossible to untie. When following goes this far, the sincerity is enough to reach the spirits — like the Zhou king making offerings on the Western Mountain. More on this line →
Lines are counted from the bottom. “Nine” is a yang (solid) line, “six” a yin (broken) line. A line applies to your reading only when it is a changing line.
Related hexagrams
Primary, resulting, nuclear, opposite and inverted hexagrams explained →
In the hexagram calendar
In the Tang monk Yixing’s Dayan calendar, Sui belongs to the second pentad of Insects Awaken, “Orioles sing” (March 11 to March 15, 2027).