Hexagram 17 Sui - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Following
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BY NICOLE LAU
Hexagram 17 Sui - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of Following
Sui’s six lines tell the complete story of genuine following and its counterfeits — from the following that abandons genuine inner virtue for a fixed purpose, through the entanglement of following the strong man while losing the small boy, to the supreme following that is so genuine it must be held fast by the king himself. The journey of Sui is the journey from blind following to genuine adaptability.
Line 1 — Nine at the Bottom: Following with a Fixed Purpose
The standard is changing. Perseverance brings good fortune. To go out of the door in company produces deeds.
The first line of Sui describes the beginning of genuine following — the person who changes their standard in response to the natural order, who perseveres in genuine inner virtue, and who goes out of the door in company to produce genuine deeds. The changing of the standard is the first act of genuine following: the willingness to adapt, to change, to move with the natural order rather than clinging to a fixed position. Perseverance brings good fortune: genuine following is not a single act but a sustained quality of genuine inner virtue.
- Stage: The beginning of genuine following — changing the standard, persevering in genuine inner virtue
- Action: Change the standard in response to the natural order; go out in company to produce genuine deeds
- Wisdom: Perseverance brings good fortune — genuine following is sustained genuine inner virtue in action
When this line appears: Change the standard. Persevere in genuine inner virtue. Go out in company — genuine deeds are produced through genuine following.
Line 2 — Six in the Second Place: Following the Small Boy
If one clings to the little boy, one loses the strong man.
The second line of Sui describes the danger of following the wrong thing — the person who clings to the small boy (the lesser, the immediate, the comfortable) and in doing so loses the strong man (the greater, the genuine, the worthy). This is the first warning of Sui: genuine following requires genuine discernment about what is worth following. The person who follows the small boy — who clings to the lesser at the expense of the greater — loses the genuine following of Sui.
- Stage: The danger of following the wrong thing — clinging to the lesser at the expense of the greater
- Action: Discern what is genuinely worth following; do not cling to the small boy at the expense of the strong man
- Danger: Losing the strong man by clinging to the small boy — the failure of genuine discernment in following
- Wisdom: Genuine following requires genuine discernment about what is worth following
When this line appears: Examine what you are following. Are you clinging to the small boy — the lesser, the immediate, the comfortable — at the expense of the strong man — the greater, the genuine, the worthy?
Line 3 — Six in the Third Place: Following the Strong Man
If one clings to the strong man, one loses the little boy. Following has what it seeks. It furthers one to remain persevering.
The third line of Sui describes the complementary danger: the person who clings to the strong man (the greater, the powerful, the worthy) and in doing so loses the small boy (the immediate, the personal, the genuine inner life). Following has what it seeks: the person who follows the strong man finds what they are seeking — but at the cost of the small boy. It furthers one to remain persevering: the genuine following of Sui requires the perseverance that holds both the strong man and the small boy in genuine relationship.
- Stage: Following the strong man — the greater at the cost of the lesser
- Action: Follow the strong man, but do not lose the small boy; persevere in the genuine relationship of both
- Wisdom: It furthers one to remain persevering — genuine following holds both the strong man and the small boy
When this line appears: You are following the strong man — the greater, the worthy. But do not lose the small boy — the immediate, the personal, the genuine inner life. Persevere in the genuine relationship of both.
Line 4 — Nine in the Fourth Place: Following That Seeks Personal Advantage
Following creates success. Perseverance brings misfortune. To go one’s way with sincerity brings clarity. How could there be blame in this?
The fourth line of Sui describes the most dangerous form of following: the following that creates success but whose perseverance brings misfortune. This is the following that seeks personal advantage — the person who follows with genuine outer success but whose inner motivation is personal gain rather than genuine inner virtue. To go one’s way with sincerity brings clarity: the antidote to the following that seeks personal advantage is the sincerity of genuine inner virtue — the willingness to go one’s own way with genuine sincerity rather than following for personal advantage.
- Stage: Following that seeks personal advantage — outer success, inner misfortune
- Action: Go one’s way with sincerity; do not follow for personal advantage
- Danger: The following that creates outer success but whose perseverance brings inner misfortune
- Wisdom: Sincerity brings clarity — genuine inner virtue is the antidote to following for personal advantage
When this line appears: Examine the motivation of your following. Is it genuine inner virtue, or personal advantage? Go one’s way with sincerity. How could there be blame in this?
Line 5 — Nine in the Fifth Place: Sincere in the Good
Sincere in the good. Good fortune.
The ruler’s position in Sui — the person who is sincere in the good. This is the simplest and most direct line of Sui: the person who follows the good with genuine sincerity finds good fortune. The sincerity of Line 5 is the genuine inner virtue that is the foundation of all genuine following: the person who is genuinely sincere in following the good — who does not follow for personal advantage, who does not cling to the small boy at the expense of the strong man, who does not follow with hidden agenda — finds the good fortune of genuine following.
- Stage: Genuine sincerity in following the good — the ruler’s genuine inner virtue
- Action: Follow the good with genuine sincerity; maintain genuine inner virtue in all following
- Wisdom: Good fortune — the person who is sincere in the good finds the good fortune of genuine following
When this line appears: Follow the good with genuine sincerity. Good fortune — the simplest and most direct teaching of Sui.
Line 6 — Six at the Top: The King Presents Offerings on the Western Mountain
He meets with firm allegiance and is still further bound. The king introduces him to the Western Mountain.
The supreme line of Sui — the following that is so genuine, so complete, so deeply rooted in genuine inner virtue that it must be held fast by the king himself. The king introduces him to the Western Mountain: the Western Mountain is the place of the ancestral offerings — the most sacred place of genuine connection between the human and the divine. The person whose genuine following is so complete that the king introduces them to the Western Mountain has achieved the supreme expression of Sui: the genuine following that connects the human and the divine through the power of genuine inner virtue.
- Stage: Supreme following — so genuine it must be held fast; the king’s introduction to the Western Mountain
- Action: Maintain the genuine following that is so complete it connects the human and the divine
- Wisdom: The king introduces him to the Western Mountain — the supreme expression of genuine following
When this line appears: Your genuine following is so complete that it connects the human and the divine. The king introduces you to the Western Mountain. This is the supreme expression of Sui.
The Complete Journey: A Summary
- Line 1: Changing the standard — genuine adaptability; perseverance brings good fortune
- Line 2: Following the small boy — losing the strong man; the danger of following the wrong thing
- Line 3: Following the strong man — losing the small boy; persevere in the genuine relationship of both
- Line 4: Following for personal advantage — outer success, inner misfortune; go one’s way with sincerity
- Line 5: Sincere in the good — the ruler’s genuine inner virtue; good fortune
- Line 6: Supreme following — the king’s introduction to the Western Mountain
The consistent theme: genuine following is not passive compliance but active discernment — the precise intelligence of the person who knows what is genuinely worth following, who follows with genuine sincerity rather than personal advantage, and who maintains genuine inner virtue through the entire journey of following.
What Is Next in This Series
- Part 1: The Symbol and Structure
- Part 2 (This Article): The Six Lines — Complete Line-by-Line Commentary
- Part 3: Divination Guide — How to Read Sui in Practice
- Part 4: Philosophy — Sui in Confucian, Taoist, and Political Thought
- Part 5: Practical Applications — Leadership, Relationships, Adaptability, Timing
- Part 6: Modern Interpretations — Systems Thinking, Adaptive Leadership, Complexity Science
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