Hexagram 17: Following Changing to Hexagram 46: Pushing Upward

I Ching casting meaning · Sui → Sheng

Quietly, the following starts to climb — the trajectory bends into Pushing Upward, growth like a tree working its way out of the ground. Nothing dramatic, no leap: step, then step, then step, and the unusual gift of this stretch is that steady effort meets no resistance. The way is open above you. Two conditions keep it open. Take the stages in order — skipping steps now costs more than patience ever will. And climb with a guide or a sponsor, someone a little further up the same slope; this passage explicitly favors advancing in good company. What you build at this pace doesn't have to be rebuilt later. Keep going.

A casting that moves from Following into Pushing Upward means the situation you asked about is not static — it begins as one pattern and resolves into another. The first hexagram describes where you stand; the second describes where events are carrying you.

Highlighted in red: lines 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 are moving — counted from the bottom. A moving line is where the change is actually happening: it flips from yang to yin or back, and that flip is what turns Following into Pushing Upward.

The situation: Hexagram 17, Following

Smart following. Attach to what's actually moving.

Thunder beneath a still lake — movement settling into something calm and good. This hexagram is about the underrated skill of following well: picking the leader, the trend, the person whose direction is genuinely sound, and committing to it without resentment. Leadership isn't always the job; sometimes the winning move is excellent followership. The catch: follow principles, not personalities, and keep your exit criteria honest. Adapting your course to serve something bigger than your ego isn't weakness — it's how currents actually work. Right now, someone else's momentum is your fastest route. Take it.

Structurally, Following is Thunder below Lake — the inner state meeting the outer condition. That pairing is the lens for everything above.

Where it's heading: Hexagram 46, Pushing Upward

Steady ascent. Growth climbs step by step, unopposed.

The changed hexagram is the trajectory, not a verdict. As the moving lines settle, the energy of Following gives way to Pushing Upward (Sheng) — Wind below Earth. The advice that belongs to this outcome: Climb step by step with a guide. Steady effort now meets no resistance.