Kan, nine in the fifth placeHexagram 29, line 5 · Kan (The Abyss) · changing to 7
The line
In plain wordsThe water in the pit has not yet overflowed, but it is almost level. You are about to come out of danger. No blame.
The Image commentary on this line
坎不盈，中未大也。
"The abyss is not full": the center is not yet great.
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
平Neutral. Neither good nor bad. Do your part, correct mistakes, and nothing will go wrong.
How to read good fortune, misfortune, regret, humiliation and no blame →
Asking about work, love or money
- Work
- The hard stretch is nearly behind you, but you are not all the way out yet. Keep working steadily at your current pace, and don't rush to celebrate or expand; then nothing will go wrong.
- Love
- The difficulties in your love life have nearly leveled out, but they are not fully over. Don't rush to rake up the past or ask for more right away; keep things as steady as they are now, and all will be well.
- Money
- The lean days are nearly over, but you are not fully out yet. Don't rush to spend freely, and don't rush to win back what you lost before. Stay steady a while longer, and nothing will go wrong.
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 Kan.
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 also yang, so there is no answer from it.
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 Kan (The Abyss); when this line changes it becomes Shi (The Army): hexagram 29 changing to 7.
Which text to read with several changing lines →
Resulting hexagram · Shi (The Army)
This is a hard battle that takes a lot of people. What matters most is the leader and the discipline.