Dun, six in the second placeHexagram 33, line 2 · Dun (Retreat) · changing to 44
The line
In plain wordsTie it with a cord of yellow ox hide that no one can undo. The resolve to withdraw is this firm; nobody can shake it.
The Image commentary on this line
執用黃牛，固志也。
"Bind it with yellow ox hide": the purpose is made firm.
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. The text gives no verdict, only an image. Ask what in your situation the image resembles. The answer is there.
How to read good fortune, misfortune, regret, humiliation and no blame →
Asking about work, love or money
- Work
- Once you are clear that you need to step back, tie that resolve down tight, and don't let pleas to stay, promises or pride shake it. No fuss, no fighting: withdraw calmly at your own pace, and don't change course no matter who tries to talk you out of it.
- Love
- Once you are clear about whom to keep at a distance and which line to hold, tie it down tight, and don't let a few sweet words or a moment of softness undo it. There is no need to fight; stay gentle in manner and unmoved in mind.
- Money
- Once you have decided to pull back, hold to it as if it were bound with ox-hide cord: don't lend money out, don't let anyone draw you into a partnership, and don't give in no matter who asks. If your mind stays firm, your money stays safe.
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 Dun.
Line position
A yin line in a yin place: it is in its proper place; it holds the center of its trigram. Its partner is the fifth line, which is its opposite, so the two answer each other.
Second place: the center of the lower trigram, a place of praise. Stay centered and yielding.
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 Dun (Retreat); when this line changes it becomes Gou (Encounter): hexagram 33 changing to 44.
Which text to read with several changing lines →
Resulting hexagram · Gou (Encounter)
A person or a matter you run into unexpectedly; do not get deeply involved lightly.