Hexagram 17.1 — Following (First Line)
Sui · Changing Standards — 初爻
随卦 · 初九（官有渝）
Read from the bottom upward. The highlighted bar marks the first line (初爻), which is the focus of this page.
If You Just Cast This Line
The oracle text of this line addresses the critical moment when you must decide whom or what to follow. It speaks to the quality of discernment at the threshold of commitment. The first line of Following shows the beginning of adaptive movement, where standards and allegiances are reconsidered.
Its message is about principled flexibility. "Changing standards" means being willing to update your criteria for what deserves loyalty based on new information and evolving circumstances. This is not fickleness but intelligent responsiveness. By remaining open to better guidance and clearer direction, you position yourself to follow what is genuinely worthy rather than what is merely familiar.
Key Concepts
Original Text & Translation
「官有渝，贞吉。出门交有功。」 — Standards are changing. Persistence brings good fortune. Going out and making connections brings achievement.
The image is of someone at the beginning of a journey who realizes that old criteria no longer serve. The official or standard by which you've been navigating is shifting. The counsel is to remain true to core principles while updating your methods and associations. Great transitions begin with honest reassessment: what you once followed may need replacement, and new alliances may need cultivation.
Core Meaning
Line one sits at the base of the hexagram, where the decision to follow first forms. In Following, this position represents the initial willingness to move beyond fixed positions and embrace what serves the present moment. Its excellence is discernment: it evaluates leaders, ideas, and paths not by habit but by merit. "Changing standards" therefore protects you from ossified loyalty that no longer produces results.
Practically, this line separates stubborn attachment from principled adaptation. Stubborn attachment clings to outdated allegiances out of fear or inertia; principled adaptation updates commitments based on evidence and alignment with deeper values. The follower at this line does not abandon integrity — they refine their understanding of what integrity demands in new conditions.
Symbolism & Imagery
Thunder beneath the lake evokes movement that stirs beneath calm surfaces. Energy is ready to shift direction, but the transition must be deliberate and grounded. Following's first line cautions against reactive changes that lack foundation while encouraging thoughtful reassessment of who and what you align with. In leadership terms, it is the phase of auditing your influences, mentors, and frameworks rather than defaulting to inherited assumptions.
This imagery also addresses humility. The temptation when standards change is either to resist all change or to chase novelty indiscriminately. "Changing standards" restores balance: not rigidity for its own sake, but strategic openness that invites growth while maintaining coherence.
Action Guidance
Career & Business
- Audit your influences: list the people, frameworks, and sources that currently guide your decisions. Ask which still produce insight and which have become noise.
- Seek diverse perspectives: intentionally connect with people outside your usual network. New contexts reveal blind spots and open possibilities.
- Update success metrics: what you measured last year may not reflect current priorities. Revise KPIs to match evolving goals.
- Test new mentors: engage with potential guides on small projects before committing fully. Observe how they handle complexity and setbacks.
- Communicate transitions clearly: when you shift direction or allegiance, explain the reasoning to stakeholders. Transparency builds trust during change.
Love & Relationships
- Reassess compatibility criteria: the qualities you once prioritized in partners or friends may have evolved. Acknowledge growth honestly.
- Expand social circles: attend new gatherings, join different communities, or reconnect with dormant contacts. Fresh connections catalyze perspective shifts.
- Communicate evolving needs: share with your partner or close friends how your values and priorities are developing. Invite their input.
- Release guilt about outgrowing: some relationships served a season. Honoring that without clinging is mature, not disloyal.
Health & Inner Work
- Experiment with new modalities: if your current wellness routine feels stale, try different practices — breathwork, movement styles, or recovery protocols.
- Follow energy, not dogma: notice what actually restores you versus what you think should work. Adjust accordingly.
- Seek new teachers: workshops, courses, or coaches with different philosophies can break plateaus and renew motivation.
- Track subjective well-being: journal about mood, clarity, and vitality. Let data guide which practices to keep or drop.
Finance & Strategy
- Revise investment thesis: markets and conditions evolve. Reassess which sectors, assets, or strategies align with current macroeconomic realities.
- Diversify information sources: if you rely on a narrow set of analysts or media, expand to contrarian voices and alternative data.
- Test new allocation models: run simulations or paper portfolios with updated assumptions before committing capital.
- Build advisory relationships: connect with advisors or peer groups who challenge your thinking constructively.
Timing, Signals, and Readiness
How do you know when to change standards versus when to hold steady? Look for persistent friction: (1) your current approach repeatedly fails to produce expected results; (2) you feel increasing misalignment between stated values and actual behavior; (3) new information consistently contradicts old assumptions; and (4) trusted advisors independently suggest reconsideration. When these converge, updating standards is wise and timely.
If you feel restless but cannot articulate what needs changing, that is a sign to gather more data before acting. If you can clearly name what no longer serves and identify better alternatives, that is a sign the transition is ready to begin.
When This Line Moves
A moving first line usually marks the transition from passive acceptance to active selection. The reading often indicates that your willingness to reassess and update is correct, and the next phase will demand clear commitment to the new path — not just exploration, but decisive following of what you've identified as worthy. Depending on your casting method, the resultant hexagram varies; use the hexagram number produced in your divination to study the specific tendencies of the change.
Practical takeaway: do not linger indefinitely in reassessment. Move from questioning old standards to committing to new ones — specific mentors, clear frameworks, defined communities — so the openness you've cultivated can anchor into purposeful direction.
Concise Summary
Hexagram 17.1 is the intelligent beginning of adaptive movement. It asks you to question inherited loyalties, update your criteria for what deserves following, and actively seek better guidance. "Changing standards" protects you from stagnation and opens pathways to more aligned leadership. When reassessment is complete and worthy direction is identified, following becomes not submission but strategic alignment with excellence.
