初九：官有渝，贞吉。出门交有功。
Roles and routines can change. Keep your principles while meeting people beyond the familiar, where useful new understanding may emerge.
I Ching Hexagram 17
Suí · Following
随 · Hexagram 17
Sui concerns adapting to change while discerning what deserves to be followed. Thunder within the Lake recognizes a time for activity and a time for rest. Flexibility means leaving an outdated habit for a sound relationship or rhythm without abandoning independent judgment.
Upper trigram: Lake/Duì
Lower trigram: Thunder/Zhèn
The situation you may be in
An old arrangement may no longer fit, requiring a change in role, company, or approach. Different influences compete for attention, and immediate convenience may differ from what deserves lasting trust.
How to respond
Ask whether you are following values and facts or simply avoiding being left out. Listen to new views while keeping commitments clear. Choosing one direction also means releasing incompatible attachments.
Judgment and Image
Judgment
随：元亨利贞，无咎。
Following has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. No blame.
Image
泽中有雷，随；君子以向晦入宴息。
Thunder within the lake: Following. The superior person at nightfall goes indoors for rest and recuperation.
Applying it to real life
Love & relationships
Both people need to adjust, rather than expecting one person to accommodate everything. Keep friendships, interests, and boundaries while adapting to a partner's life, so companionship does not become dependence.
Career & work
Join trustworthy work, learn from experience, or adjust your rhythm. Following someone capable still requires understanding their reasoning; reputation does not remove your responsibility to judge.
Choice & decisions
Identify what attracts you: growth, trust, or an immediate reward. Releasing the inertia of an old attachment may be necessary before you can commit sincerely to a better direction.
Timing & pace
Timing may call for a responsive turn rather than rigid loyalty to an old plan. The image of rest after activity also reminds you that following a purpose needs a sustainable daily rhythm.
The six changing lines
The lines unfold from the bottom upward, describing one pattern of change from its first appearance to its extreme. If your reading has a changing line, begin with that position.
六二：系小子，失丈夫。
Attachment to easy, immediate company may cost a more dependable relationship. Recognize the choice instead of trying to retain incompatible ties.
六三：系丈夫，失小子。随有求得，利居贞。
Choosing a mature, trustworthy direction requires letting go of conflicting dependencies. Keep your principles even when the choice begins to bring benefits.
九四：随有获，贞凶。有孚在道，以明，何咎。
Benefits gained through others' following can distort your original purpose. Clear motives and sound conduct help prevent suspicion and harm.
九五：孚于嘉，吉。
Place confidence in what is worthy and dependable. Following then has a real foundation rather than merely responding to influence or popularity.
上六：拘系之，乃从维之。王用亨于西山。
A deeply shared commitment can create a durable bond. In present-day relationships, that bond must remain voluntary rather than equating restraint with loyalty.
A common misreading
Sui does not mean doing whatever others say. Its second and third lines demand a choice of attachments, and the fourth warns that rewards gained through following can pull you away from integrity.
Related hexagrams
Text and interpretation
Updated 12 September 2026Reviewed by MysticEast Research
This page preserves the Chinese Judgment, Image, and line texts of the received Zhouyi. MysticEast's modern explanations are newly written to emphasize stages of change and practical judgment rather than fixed good-or-bad predictions.
Read the Zhouyi at the Chinese Text ProjectLet the hexagram meet your actual question
A guide gives you the map. A cast made with a clear question can help locate the exact stage of change you are experiencing.