Hexagram 9.5 — Small Taming (Fifth Line)

Original Text & Translation

「有孚挽如，富以其鄰。」 — Sincere connection binds together; wealth is shared with neighbors.

The image is of hands joined, resources pooled, and trust that creates unity. The fifth line occupies the position of authority but within a hexagram of limited power. Instead of hoarding scarce resources or forcing compliance, this line demonstrates generosity and transparency. When sincerity is genuine, others respond by contributing their own gifts. What begins as small becomes ample through cooperation.

Core Meaning

Line five sits at the apex of the upper trigram, the natural seat of leadership. In Small Taming, this leadership cannot rely on overwhelming resources or absolute authority. Instead, it must operate through alignment and shared purpose. The phrase "sincere connection binds together" describes a magnetic quality: when your intentions are transparent and your commitments reliable, people naturally gather around you.

"Wealth is shared with neighbors" reveals the mechanism. In times of constraint, hoarding creates isolation and brittleness. Sharing creates redundancy and resilience. The leader who distributes resources, credit, and opportunity builds a web of reciprocal support. This is not weakness—it is strategic generosity that transforms scarcity into sufficiency through collective participation. The fifth line teaches that true wealth in lean times is measured by the strength of your alliances, not the size of your reserves.

Symbolism & Imagery

The image of binding evokes threads woven into rope, or tributaries joining into a river. Each element remains distinct yet contributes to a unified whole. In Small Taming, wind gathers over heaven—gentle force accumulating through persistence. The fifth line represents the moment when scattered efforts cohere through shared intention. It is the difference between individuals working in parallel and a team moving as one organism.

The symbolism also addresses the paradox of leadership under constraint. A ruler with unlimited power can command; a ruler with limited power must inspire. The fifth line shows that inspiration flows from authenticity. When people see that you share their risks, acknowledge their contributions, and keep your word even when it costs you, they invest their energy willingly. This creates a form of wealth that cannot be taken by force—the wealth of voluntary cooperation and collective intelligence.

Action Guidance

Career & Business

• Lead through transparency: share context, constraints, and decision-making criteria openly. When people understand the "why," they contribute better solutions.
• Distribute credit generously: highlight team contributions in every communication. Recognition costs nothing and compounds loyalty.
• Build cross-functional alliances: invest time in relationships outside your immediate domain. Future leverage comes from networks, not hierarchies.
• Share resources proactively: lend tools, expertise, and access before being asked. Create a culture of reciprocal support.
• Keep commitments visibly: follow through on small promises with the same rigor as large ones. Consistency builds the trust that binds.
• Facilitate, don't dominate: in meetings and projects, focus on connecting people and ideas rather than asserting your own agenda.

Love & Relationships

• Practice radical honesty: share your actual feelings, needs, and uncertainties. Vulnerability creates the intimacy that binds.
• Invest in shared rituals: regular practices—weekly check-ins, shared meals, collaborative projects—weave connection over time.
• Celebrate interdependence: acknowledge what you receive as well as what you give. Mutual appreciation strengthens bonds.
• Be reliably present: show up consistently in small ways. Trust accumulates through repeated micro-interactions.
• Share decision-making: involve your partner in choices that affect both of you. Joint ownership creates joint commitment.
• Extend generosity to your partner's network: support their friendships and family relationships. Strengthening their ecosystem strengthens your bond.

Health & Inner Work

• Join supportive communities: group practices—classes, teams, circles—provide accountability and shared energy that individual effort cannot match.
• Share your process: talking about your health journey with trusted others creates external commitment and valuable feedback.
• Practice reciprocal care: support others in their wellness goals. Teaching and encouraging reinforces your own habits.
• Integrate rather than isolate: weave healthy practices into social contexts. Walk with friends, cook together, share meditation time.
• Be honest about limitations: acknowledge what you can and cannot do. Authenticity about constraints prevents burnout and builds sustainable rhythms.
• Celebrate collective wins: recognize progress in your community, not just personal achievements. Shared success deepens motivation.

Finance & Strategy

• Build financial partnerships: co-investment, shared resources, and pooled expertise multiply capacity beyond individual means.
• Invest in relationship capital: allocate time and money to maintaining professional networks. Future opportunities flow through trusted connections.
• Share information generously: insights and analysis become more valuable when circulated. Hoarding knowledge isolates you from collaborative upside.
• Create win-win structures: design deals where all parties benefit clearly. Aligned incentives produce durable partnerships.
• Be transparent about constraints: honest communication about limitations builds credibility and invites creative solutions from partners.
• Prioritize long-term relationships over short-term gains: reputation and trust compound; quick wins often erode both.

Timing, Signals, and Readiness

This line appears when you have influence but limited direct control, when your success depends on others choosing to align with you. The timing is right for relationship-building, coalition formation, and trust cultivation. Look for opportunities to demonstrate reliability, share generously, and create structures of mutual benefit. Avoid unilateral action or attempts to force compliance—these will backfire under this line's energy.

You will know you are working with this line correctly when people begin volunteering help without being asked, when information flows to you naturally, and when small initiatives gain momentum through collective participation. If you find yourself isolated, hoarding resources, or trying to control outcomes through personal effort alone, you have missed the teaching. Return to transparency, generosity, and authentic connection. The signal of readiness is not your individual capacity but the strength and responsiveness of your network.

When This Line Moves

A moving fifth line in Small Taming often indicates a transition from building relationships to mobilizing collective action. The bonds you have woven are about to be tested or activated. The resultant hexagram will show the nature of this transition—whether toward greater harmony, necessary conflict, or structural change. Pay attention to the specific hexagram produced by your divination method to understand the direction of movement.

Practical guidance: as this line moves, shift from cultivation mode to coordination mode. The relationships are established; now comes the work of aligning them toward shared goals. This may involve facilitating difficult conversations, mediating conflicting interests, or simply providing the structure that allows collective energy to flow productively. Your role evolves from connector to orchestrator, but the foundation remains the same—sincere commitment and transparent communication that keeps trust intact even as the work intensifies.

Concise Summary

Hexagram 9.5 teaches leadership through relationship in times of constraint. When resources are limited and control is partial, sincere connection becomes the primary asset. By sharing generously, keeping commitments visibly, and building networks of mutual trust, you transform scarcity into collective sufficiency. The wealth of this line is not measured in personal accumulation but in the strength, responsiveness, and resilience of the alliances you weave. Lead by binding together, and what is small becomes ample through shared commitment.