Wuwang, nine in the fifth placeHexagram 25, line 5 · Wuwang (Innocence) · changing to 21
The line
In plain wordsYou did nothing wrong and yet fell ill. No need for medicine; it will get better on its own. It is not your problem, so don't go stirring things up.
The Image commentary on this line
无妄之藥，不可試也。
Medicine for one who is innocent: it must not be tried.
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
吉Favorable. The text gives no verdict, but the picture it paints is a hopeful one. Act the way it describes and there will be something to gain.
How to read good fortune, misfortune, regret, humiliation and no blame →
Asking about work, love or money
- Work
- Something has gone wrong, but the root of it is not you. Don't rush to overhaul the plan, replace people or patch things up; the wrong medicine only does more harm. Carry on as usual, and it will settle by itself.
- Love
- A small upset has come up in your love life, and no one has really done anything wrong. Don't rush to demand answers, and don't reach for drastic remedies. Give each other a little time, and it will get better on its own.
- Money
- An unexpected hole has opened up in your accounts, and it is not because you miscalculated. Don't rush to borrow to fill it or hunt around for ways to patch it; if you don't make rash moves, it will recover bit by bit.
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 Wuwang.
Line position
A yang line in a yang place: it is in its proper place; it holds the center of its trigram. Its partner is the second line, which is its opposite, so the two answer each other.
Fifth place: the center of the upper trigram, the ruler's seat, a place of achievement. This is where things are decided.
When you get this line
If this is the only changing line in your cast (three backs, old yang), this line is your answer. The primary hexagram is Wuwang (Innocence); when this line changes it becomes Shihe (Biting Through): hexagram 25 changing to 21.
Which text to read with several changing lines →
Resulting hexagram · Shihe (Biting Through)
Something is stuck in the middle, and you have to bite through it.