I Ching hexagram 17

I Ching hexagram 17: Following

随 suí · a lake above thunder

Thunder resting inside the lake: you gain followers by following well, choosing whom to go along with and why.

The judgment: Great success from the start. It pays to stay steady and true. No mistake.
"Sui indicates that (under its conditions) there will be great progress and success. But it will be advantageous to be firm and correct. There will (then) be no error."
James Legge's translation, 1882
What it says to you: Thunder has gone quiet under the surface of the lake, the way a strong person rests when the season asks for rest. That is the picture of following: energy that knows when to yield and whom to go with. The judgment is generous, great success and no mistake, but it hangs on one condition, that you stay steady and true. The lines spell out what that means. You cannot keep hold of everyone at once: cling to the little boy and you lose the grown man, and the reverse. So the question in front of you is less whether to follow than what you are following, and whether it deserves you. Go outside your own gate, as the first line says, and look for company on merit rather than habit. Then commit sincerely, and let the bond hold you the way the last line's cords do: willingly.

Matter by matter

Love: Good, if you choose freely. Know which bond you are keeping, because holding two means losing one.
Work: Follow a capable lead, or gather people by being worth following. Look outside your usual circle for allies.
Money: Gains come through good alliances. Deal steadily and honestly; don't chase every opportunity that passes.
A yes or no question: Yes, with a condition. Go along with it if you can do so sincerely and with open eyes.

The six lines of Following

A hexagram is built from the bottom up, so the first line is the lowest. You read a line's text only when your cast made it a moving line.

Bottom line, solid

What you serve has changed. Staying true brings good fortune. Going out of your gate to make connections brings results.

Something you relied on has shifted: a role, a rule, a boss. Keep your own footing and step outside your usual circle. The useful people are beyond your front door, and meeting them on open ground works.
Second line, broken

You cling to the little boy and lose the grown man.

You are holding on to the easy, small attachment and letting the substantial one slip away. Look hard at what you are choosing by default. The text does not need to add that this ends badly.
Third line, broken

You cling to the grown man and let the little boy go. In following, what you seek you will get. It pays to stay put and steady.

You chose the weightier tie and gave up the smaller one. That was right, and you will get what you are after. The one caution: having chosen, stay where you are and keep faith.
Fourth line, solid

Following brings a catch, but holding on to it is ominous. Keep good faith on the road, make it plain, and where is the mistake?

People are gathering around you, or you are winning something through others. Clinging to that catch for yourself is what turns it bad. Be open and honest about your aims, and suspicion has nothing to land on.
Fifth line, solid

Good faith toward what is excellent. Good fortune.

Trust the good thing in front of you, and trust the good in people. Sincerity aimed at something worthy is the best luck this hexagram offers, and here you have it.
Top line, broken

Held and bound, then tied fast. The king makes his offering on the Western Mountain, the old homeland of the Zhou kings.

Your loyalty now holds you as much as you hold it. A bond like that reaches past people to what you hold sacred. Honor it with something real, an act as well as a feeling.

About hexagram 17

What does I Ching hexagram 17 mean?

Hexagram 17, Following, puts a lake above thunder. Thunder resting inside the lake: you gain followers by following well, choosing whom to go along with and why. Its judgment reads: Great success from the start. It pays to stay steady and true. No mistake.

Is hexagram 17 a yes or a no?

Yes, with a condition. Go along with it if you can do so sincerely and with open eyes.

What does hexagram 17 mean for love?

Good, if you choose freely. Know which bond you are keeping, because holding two means losing one.

What does hexagram 17 mean for work?

Follow a capable lead, or gather people by being worth following. Look outside your usual circle for allies.

Cast the coins for a new question , or for a straight yes or no, throw the moon blocks

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The judgment and lines are rendered from the Chinese text; the quoted judgment is Legge's 1882 translation, and every other English line is Jade Almanac's own. A cast is a prompt for reflection, not advice about health, money or the law.