Decoding the Hexagram Ze Lei Sui (Following) in the I Ching: Structure and Lessons

Which hexagram number is Trạch Lôi Tùy (隨), and what is its structure?

Trạch Lôi Tùy (隨) is the 17th hexagram among the 64 in the Zhou Yi sequence. The upper trigram is Đoài (兌, Marsh), the lower trigram is Chấn (震, Thunder). The image is thunder beneath the marsh.

Tradition attributes the drawing of the trigrams to Fu Xi, the naming and the composition of the hexagram statements to King Wen, the composition of the line statements to the Duke of Zhou, and the composition of the Ten Wings to Confucius; modern scholarship does not treat these attributions as proven, and places the Ten Wings somewhere between the 5th and 2nd centuries BCE.

What does the original text of the Trạch Lôi Tùy hexagram say?

The hexagram statement reads: 隨：元亨。利貞。无咎。 (Tùy: nguyên hanh, lợi trinh, vô cữu. Close meaning: Tùy: greatly successful, favourable to hold to correctness, no fault.)

The line statements of the six lines read:

• First line (Sơ cửu): 官有渝，貞吉。出門交有功。 (Quan hữu du, trinh cát. Xuất môn giao hữu công. Close meaning: An official post undergoes change, holding to correctness brings good fortune. Going out the door to make connections brings merit.)
• Second line (Lục nhị): 係小子，失丈夫。 (Hệ tiểu tử, thất trượng phu. Close meaning: Bound to the small child, one loses the great man.)
• Third line (Lục tam): 係丈夫，失小子。隨，有求得利，居貞。 (Hệ trượng phu, thất tiểu tử. Tùy, hữu cầu đắc lợi, cư trinh. Close meaning: Bound to the great man, one loses the small child. In following, what is sought is obtained with benefit, dwelling in correctness brings steadiness.)
• Fourth line (Cửu tứ): 隨有獲，貞凶。有孚在道，以明，何咎。 (Tùy hữu hoạch, trinh hung. Hữu phu tại đạo, dĩ minh, hà cữu. Close meaning: Following and gaining something, even holding to correctness brings misfortune. If there is sincerity in the way, and clarity, what fault is there.)
• Fifth line (Cửu ngũ): 孚于嘉，吉。 (Phu vu gia, cát. Close meaning: Sincerity toward what is good, good fortune.)
• Top line (Thượng lục): 拘係之，乃從維之。王用亨于西山。 (Câu hệ chi, nãi tòng duy chi. Vương dụng hưởng vu Tây Sơn. Close meaning: Bound and tied, then follows and is held fast. The king uses this to make offering at Tây Sơn.)

The Thoán Commentary (part of the Ten Wings) says: 隨，剛來而下柔，動而說，隨。大亨貞，无咎，而天下隨時，隨時之義大矣哉！ (Tùy, cương lai nhi hạ nhu, động nhi duyệt, tùy. Đại hanh trinh, vô cữu, nhi thiên hạ tùy thời, tùy thời chi nghĩa đại hĩ tai! Close meaning: Tùy, the firm comes and places itself below the yielding, moving and gladdening, this is following. Greatly successful and correct, no fault, and the world follows the time; great indeed is the meaning of following the time!)

The Great Image (Tượng truyện, part of the Ten Wings) says: 澤中有雷，隨；君子以嚮晦入宴息。 (Trạch trung hữu lôi, tùy; quân tử dĩ hướng hối nhập yến tức. Close meaning: Thunder within the marsh, this is following; the noble person accordingly, when darkness falls, goes in to rest.)

The Small Image (part of the Ten Wings) for each line:

• First line (Sơ cửu): 官有渝，從正吉也。出門交有功，不失也。 (Quan hữu du, tòng chính cát dã. Xuất môn giao hữu công, bất thất dã. Close meaning: An official post undergoes change, following correctness brings good fortune. Going out the door to make connections brings merit, one does not lose.)
• Second line (Lục nhị): 系小子，弗兼與也。 (Hệ tiểu tử, phất kiêm dữ dã. Close meaning: Bound to the small child, one cannot give oneself to both at once.)
• Third line (Lục tam): 系丈夫，志舍下也。 (Hệ trượng phu, chí xả hạ dã. Close meaning: Bound to the great man, the will lets go of what is below.)
• Fourth line (Cửu tứ): 隨有獲，其義凶也。有孚在道，明功也。 (Tùy hữu hoạch, kỳ nghĩa hung dã. Hữu phu tại đạo, minh công dã. Close meaning: Following and gaining something, its meaning is misfortune. Sincerity in the way, this is clarity of merit.)
• Fifth line (Cửu ngũ): 孚于嘉，吉；位正中也。 (Phu vu gia, cát; vị chính trung dã. Close meaning: Sincerity toward what is good, good fortune; because the position is correct and central.)
• Top line (Thượng lục): 拘系之，上窮也。 (Câu hệ chi, thượng cùng dã. Close meaning: Bound and tied, being at the top means reaching the end.)

What do Wang Bi's and Zhu Xi's commentaries on the Tùy hexagram say?

Wang Bi's commentary (in the Zhou Yi zheng yi) on the lines is as follows:

• First line (Sơ cửu): Wang Bi comments: At the beginning of the time of following, there is no response above, no place to be bound to; when moving one can follow the time, the intention is not fixed on any direction. Following does not follow desire; rather it takes desire and follows what is fitting. Therefore an official post undergoes change, and one follows without losing correctness. Going out the door without going against, what is lost?
• Second line (Lục nhị): Wang Bi comments: The yin is a thing that, in the world of following, cannot stand on its own, and must have something to attach to. In the time of following, its substance is yielding and weak, and it rides above the firm and moving; how could it hold its will and turn away from what is near? Following one thing loses the other, one cannot give oneself to both at once. The fifth is above it, the first is below it, therefore it says bound to the small child, loses the great man.
• Third line (Lục tam): Wang Bi comments: The yin is a thing that, in the world of following, cannot stand on its own, and must have something to attach to. Though its substance is in the lower trigram, the second has already taken the lead, so what does it lean on? Therefore it lets go of the first and attaches to the fourth, its will is on the great man. The fourth is not responded to by any, and also wants it to follow itself, so what is sought is obtained, therefore it says in following, what is sought is obtained. Its response is not correct, and it attaches to a person, how can one speak of the benefit of dwelling in correctness? The first is below it, the fourth is above it, therefore it says bound to the great man, loses the small child.
• Fourth line (Cửu tứ): Wang Bi comments: At the beginning of the time of gladdening, below it occupies the two yin lines, the third seeks to attach to it, and if it does not resist, it gains them, therefore it says following and gaining something. It sits in a minister's position, not in the correct place, and monopolises the people, losing the way of a minister, going against correctness, therefore it says holding to correctness brings misfortune. Its substance is firm and in gladdening, and it wins the hearts of the people; it can do its own work and accomplish its own merit. Though this is the ordinary meaning, its will is on helping things, its heart has accomplished merit, and it makes clear its sincerity in the way to illuminate its merit, then what fault is there?
• Fifth line (Cửu ngũ): Wang Bi comments: It dwells in correctness and centrality, and in the world of following it exhausts what is fitting in following the time, and wins the sincere hearts of things, therefore sincerity toward what is good, good fortune.
• Top line (Thượng lục): Wang Bi comments: The substance of following is that the yin complies with the yang. At the very top, it does not follow. The way of following is already complete, and it alone does not follow, therefore it is bound and tied, then follows. Of all the tribute of the land, none is not the king's servant, and if one acts without following, the king must strike, therefore it is held fast: the king uses this to make offering at Tây Sơn. Đoài is the western direction, the mountain is a place where the road is difficult. It is in the west and does not follow, therefore the king uses this to make communication at Tây Sơn.

Zhu Xi (Zhou Yi ben yi) comments:

• Hexagram statement: Zhu Xi (Zhou Yi ben yi) comments: Tùy means following. Speaking in terms of hexagram change, it originally comes from the Khốn hexagram, the ninth comes to the beginning, and again from the Thệ Hạp hexagram, the ninth comes to the fifth, and coming from the Vị Tế hexagram it combines these two changes, all of which carry the meaning of the firm coming to follow the yielding. Speaking in terms of the two trigrams, it is moving and that one is gladdened, which is also the meaning of following. Therefore it is following. When one can follow things, and things come to follow oneself, the two following each other, then it is easy and successful. Therefore its divination is greatly successful, but one must benefit by correctness to obtain freedom from fault. If one follows incorrectly, then though greatly successful, one cannot avoid fault. The Zuo Zhuan, in the Mu Jiang passage, says: Having these four virtues, one follows and is without fault; I have none of them, how could I be one who follows? Now, examining this, the four virtues are not the original meaning, but the words below say... deeply grasp the intent of the method of divination.
• First line (Sơ cửu): Zhu Xi (Zhou Yi ben yi) comments: The hexagram takes things following as its meaning, the lines take following things as their meaning. The first line, with yang below, is the master of Chấn, and is what makes the following. Since there is following, there is a fixed master and a change of constancy. Only correctness brings good fortune, and one should further go out the door to make connections; if one does not follow exclusively, there is merit. Therefore the image and divination are like this, and it also uses this to warn.
• Second line (Lục nhị): Zhu Xi (Zhou Yi ben yi) comments: The first line is yang below and near, the fifth line is yang, the correct response, and far. The two yin lines, yielding, cannot hold themselves to await the correct response, therefore the image is like this; misfortune and regret can be known without being stated.
• Third line (Lục tam): Zhu Xi (Zhou Yi ben yi) comments: The great man is the fourth line, the small child is also the first. The third is near and attaches to the fourth and loses the first; its image is exactly opposite to the second line. The fourth line is yang and bears responsibility, and if one follows it, what is sought will be obtained, but it is not the correct response, therefore there is doubt that it is incorrect and acts as flattery, therefore the divination is like this, and it further warns to hold to correctness.
• Fourth line (Cửu tứ): Zhu Xi (Zhou Yi ben yi) comments: The fourth line, with firmness, is below the ruler and above the people, and shares virtue with the fifth, therefore the divination is that following gains something. But its position encroaches on the fifth, therefore though correct, it is misfortune. Only sincerity in the way and clarity, then above is at peace and below follows, and one can be without fault. The diviner, at the time of this responsibility, should examine this warning.
• Fifth line (Cửu ngũ): Zhu Xi (Zhou Yi ben yi) comments: Yang, firm, central and correct, below it responds to what is central and correct, this is trust in what is good. If the diviner is like this, good fortune is fitting.
• Top line (Thượng lục): Zhu Xi (Zhou Yi ben yi) comments: At the extreme of following, the following is bound so tightly that it cannot be opened. When sincere intent reaches its extreme, it can communicate with the spirits, therefore the divination is that the king uses this to make offering at Tây Sơn. Hưởng should also be read as making sacrifice. Speaking from Zhou, Kỳ Sơn is in the west. Whenever divination about sacrifices to mountains and rivers obtains this, with sincerity like this it is good.

In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, what does the Tùy hexagram suggest?

In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the four layers of original text, commentary, interpretation and suggestion need to be kept distinct. The original text records only the hexagram statement and the line statements; the Thoán Commentary, the Great Image and the Small Image belong to the Ten Wings and are not merged into the classic text. Wang Bi and Zhu Xi read tùy as following, but emphasise following without losing correctness. The line statements carry the social norms of ancient times such as ruler and minister, man and woman, marriage, and should be understood as historical context, not turned into advice for today.

In Nhật Nguyệt's understanding, the Tùy hexagram does not place weight on following the crowd, but places weight on following what is worth following. The compliance here is compliance with what is right, compliance with conscience, not blind conformity. The image of thunder moving beneath the lake suggests selective adaptation; not every change carries positive value.

What should one understand when meeting the Trạch Lôi Tùy hexagram and asking about work?

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: when asking about work, the Tùy hexagram suggests weighing whom one is following, why one is following, and whether one can hold to correctness. If one is in a leadership position, one should remember that power lasts longer when there is consensus; if one is the one carrying things out, one should stay clear-headed in choosing the person and the direction to follow.

What should one understand when meeting the Trạch Lôi Tùy hexagram and asking about love?

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: when asking about love, the Tùy hexagram suggests looking again at whether the relationship rests on sincerity and mutual respect. Line statements such as bound to the small child, loses the great man or bound to the great man, loses the small child originally belong to the social context of ancient times, and should be understood as a reminder about choice, not applied verbatim to relationships today.

What should one understand when meeting the Trạch Lôi Tùy hexagram and asking about money?

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: when asking about money, the Tùy hexagram suggests examining whether one is following an opportunity for immediate gain while disregarding the correct way. The fourth line says following and gaining something, holding to correctness brings misfortune; Wang Bi comments that sitting in a minister's position while monopolising the people, losing the way of a minister, going against correctness, means that even gaining is misfortune. This is a reminder about caution, not a promise or a certain warning about finances.

What should one understand when meeting the Trạch Lôi Tùy hexagram and asking about health?

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: when asking about health, the Great Image says thunder within the marsh, this is following; the noble person accordingly, when darkness falls, goes in to rest, suggesting keeping a moderate rhythm of living and knowing when to rest. This is a general suggestion and does not replace medical advice.

What can a leader learn from the Tùy hexagram?

Nhật Nguyệt's suggestion: for a leader, the Tùy hexagram suggests listening, understanding, and creating an environment in which others willingly follow. The following in the Tùy hexagram is a two-way process, resting on trust and mutual respect. The fifth line is commented on by Zhu Xi (Zhou Yi ben yi) as yang, firm, central and correct, below it responds to what is central and correct, this is trust in what is good, showing that sincerity toward what is good is the foundation.

Quick reference table: the Trạch Lôi Tùy hexagram

The figures in the table match the results of the lookup tools on Nhật Nguyệt.