Module 9
Moving lines and the resulting hexagram
Goal of this module
Turn six numbers into a primary hexagram, locate the moving lines, generate the resulting hexagram, and know what each of them stands for.
From six numbers to a hexagram
At the end of module 8 you are holding six numbers, say 9 7 8 6 7 8 (bottom to top). This section turns them into a hexagram.
The first step looks only at yin and yang, setting aside whether anything changes:
| Number | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Drawn as | yin line | yang line | yin line | yang line |
Draw the six lines from the bottom up and what you have is the primary hexagram — a description of the situation as it stands.
Which lines move
Back to module 8’s conclusion: 6 and 9 are old yin and old yang, at the limit, and they change; 7 and 8 are young yin and young yang, still on the way, and they hold.
The ones that change are the moving lines. They are the places in the hexagram where change is under way — which is to say, where the matter can be acted on.
Generating the resulting hexagram
Reverse each moving line: yang becomes yin, yin becomes yang. Leave every other line exactly as it is. The new figure is the resulting hexagram (also called the “hexagram gone to”).
Only two actions, and both are easy to botch. First, reversing the lines that do not move as well (that gives you the opposite hexagram, not the resulting one). Second, forgetting to split the upper and lower trigrams afresh — the lines changed, so those usually changed too.
Lay one out yourself
Already thrown? Enter the six numbers — bottom to top, with the first throw on line 1.
Fill in all six and the primary and resulting hexagrams appear.
What each of the three stands for
Primary hexagram
The situation as it is, the state the matter is in right now.
Moving lines
The places where change is under way — what to watch, and where effort tells.
Resulting hexagram
The state this trend might arrive at if it continues.
Note the “might” in that last one. It is not a sentence handed down. The resulting hexagram holds on the assumption that you change nothing — and since you have now seen it, you already have the chance to change something. This site’s position: a casting is for observation and reflection, not for definite prediction.
The number of moving lines decides what you read
This is where many people stall: the hexagram is laid out, so now what do you read?
The answer depends on how many lines move.
17.8%
No moving lines
All six are 7 or 8, the primary hexagram is the whole of it, and the resulting hexagram is identical. Read the judgment of the primary hexagram. The situation is relatively settled, with no clear point of change.
35.6%
One moving line
The clearest case. Read that line’s text in the primary hexagram. The hexagram gives the background; that one line gives the specific place to act.
46.6%
Two or more
Nearly half the time — hardly a rare case. Which passage to read has long been handled differently by different schools; this site follows Zhu Xi’s Yixue Qimeng, “Kao bian zhan”. That module is still being written, and until it ships we will not force an answer.
The last column deserves a second look: multiple moving lines are not an exotic special case but the most common outcome of all. When the casting tool meets two or more, it says so plainly rather than offering a reading that might be wrong.
This is “understand the structure first, meaning after” in practice: you can already lay out the primary hexagram, the moving lines and the resulting hexagram accurately, and none of that is affected. As for which passage to read, no answer is forced before the rule has been explained.
Exercises
1The six throws come out 7, 8, 7, 8, 7, 8. How many moving lines?
Right. 7 is young yang and 8 is young yin, and neither changes. Only 6 and 9 do. This casting has no moving lines, so the resulting hexagram is the same as the primary.
That step went astray. You may have counted the yang lines as moving lines. Being yang or yin and changing or not are two separate things: 7 and 9 are both yang, but only 9 changes.
That step went astray. All six lines are there, but none of them moves. “Having lines” is not “having moving lines”.
2The fourth line of the primary hexagram is a 6 (old yin). What is the fourth line of the resulting hexagram?
Right. 6 is old yin: yin at its limit turns to yang. So the fourth line is yin in the primary hexagram and yang in the resulting one.
That step went astray. If it did not change it would not be a moving line. The whole meaning of 6 is “yin here, and already at the limit, about to turn yang”.
That step went astray. Each line changes on its own account, with no influence on the others. The resulting hexagram is generated line by line; there is no knock-on effect.
3The primary hexagram has two moving lines. What happens to the other four when you generate the resulting hexagram?
Right. Right. The resulting hexagram is the primary one with the moving lines reversed and everything else kept. The position and count of the six lines are untouched; only the moving ones flip.
That step went astray. That gives the opposite hexagram (all six reversed), not the resulting one. It is the most common slip here — one flip and everything flips.
That step went astray. A hexagram always has six lines. The resulting hexagram is still a six-line figure and loses none of them.
Once the resulting hexagram is laid out, remember to split its upper and lower trigrams afresh — the lines changed, so the trigrams most likely did too, and the primary hexagram’s cannot be carried over.
4The resulting hexagram is Kun (困, Oppression). Does that mean things are bound to be difficult?
Right. Right. The resulting hexagram shows the state the present trend might arrive at, not a verdict. It rests on the premise that you carry on as you are — and seeing that is exactly what gives you the chance to do otherwise.
That step went astray. Taking it as settled turns an instrument of observation into a prophecy. This site’s position is explicit: a casting is for observation and reflection, not for definite prediction.
That step went astray. The number of moving lines affects which passage you read, not whether the resulting hexagram is settled. However many move, it is not a verdict.
The loop closes here
From yin and yang in module 1, to the line, to the trigrams, to casting and changing lines — you can now carry out a complete casting on your own and say why each step is done that way.
Go cast one and talk yourself through every step. The modules ahead cover the six positions, how the upper and lower trigrams interact, and how to read the judgments and line texts.
Common mistakes
These are not filler. They are the specific places beginners go wrong.
Treating the resulting hexagram as a fixed outcome.
It shows the state the present trend might arrive at, on the assumption that you change nothing. The point of seeing it is precisely that there is still time to change. Read as a verdict, it loses its entire use.
Reversing the non-moving lines too.
That gives the opposite hexagram (all six lines swapped), not the resulting one. Only the moving lines flip; the rest stay exactly as they are. This is the single most frequent slip in laying out a casting.
Forgetting to split the trigrams again after laying out the resulting hexagram.
The lines changed, so the upper and lower trigrams usually changed with them. Carrying the primary hexagram’s trigrams over is reading a new road off an old map.
Thinking more moving lines means better or worse fortune.
The count only says how much is in motion; it carries no fortune. What it actually governs is which passage you read — a question of method, not of good or bad.
Picking whichever line text you like when several lines move.
Which one to read follows a definite rule and is not a matter of taste. Choosing by feel means having the conclusion first and hunting for support after — the easiest way to fool yourself when reading a casting.
You have it when
Given six numbers, you can lay out the primary hexagram on your own, mark the moving lines, and generate the resulting hexagram — and for zero, one, and two-or-more moving lines you can say which passage is read.
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The prose, examples and exercises on this page are written for this site (L4). Passages quoted from the Zhou Yi and the Ten Wings are L1/L2 and in the public domain; per-passage sourcing is given on the hexagram pages.