Gou, nine in the third placeHexagram 44, line 3 · Gou (Encounter) · changing to 6
The line
In plain wordsNo flesh on your buttocks: you cannot sit still, and you cannot walk fast either. There is danger. But precisely because you met nothing, you were not hurt by the bad thing either; no great blame.
The Image commentary on this line
其行次且，行未牽也。
"Walking falters": in walking it has not yet been pulled along.
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
慎Proceed with care. There is some risk, or some regret left over, but nothing serious. Notice it early, correct it early, and things turn for the better.
How to read good fortune, misfortune, regret, humiliation and no blame →
Asking about work, love or money
- Work
- Right now both advancing and retreating feel wrong: you can't sit still, yet you can't push forward, and this is a time for caution. The good part is that you have stayed out of the mess; don't tie yourself to the wrong people or the wrong thing just to break the deadlock.
- Love
- You want to get close but can't; being left hanging like this is painful, and mistakes come easily. But precisely because you have not become entangled with the wrong person, you have not been badly hurt; hold steady, and don't grab at just anyone out of desperation.
- Money
- With money you are stuck in the middle: holding still feels uneasy, and you want to move but can't, so be careful not to grab at any chance in a hurry. Not having run into those benefits of unclear origin is actually what has kept you 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 Gou.
Line position
A yang line in a yang place: it is in its proper place. Its partner is the top line, which is also yang, so there is no answer from it.
Third place: the top of the lower trigram, a place of risk. A moment of transition. Be on guard.
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 Gou (Encounter); when this line changes it becomes Song (Conflict): hexagram 44 changing to 6.
Which text to read with several changing lines →
Resulting hexagram · Song (Conflict)
There is a dispute, but fighting it to the end will do you no good.