Also known as The Gentle, The Penetrating, Wind, Ground.
The character 巽 is linked to yielding and to setting things out in order. Hexagram 57 is about the wind: soft, persistent influence that works its way into every gap. It doesn't win by force. It wins by never stopping, and by keeping the same direction.
The figure
Wind over Wind, the trigram doubled. A single weak line at the bottom of each trigram yields to the two strong lines above it. It is the reverse of hexagram 58.
The judgment
It goes through in small ways. It pays to set out, and to find someone who can help.
Gentle influence brings modest results. Keep a clear goal, and look for good guidance.
The image
Wind following wind, the same push arriving again and again. Repeat the instruction, and get the work done.
Repeat the message. Lasting influence comes from steady, consistent effort, not one big gust.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. You go forward and back, unable to decide. Take a soldier's firmness and commit.
- Line 2. You search under the bed for what's hidden, with many helpers to find it. It goes well; bringing hidden things to light is no mistake.
- Line 3. You think it over again and again. Too much going back and forth is a humiliation.
- Line 4. Regret fades. The hunt brings back three sorts of quarry: real results.
- Line 5. Steadiness goes well and regret fades. It didn't start well, but it ends well. Think carefully before a change and check it after. It goes well.
- Line 6, at the top. Searching under the bed again, you lose what you had and the tool to defend it. Too much yielding here goes badly.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 57 says influence, not force. Keep a clear aim, work at it steadily and look into what's hidden. Don't dither, and don't give in so far that you lose yourself.