Following

Meaning

Adapt and follow the time. True leadership sometimes means knowing when to follow.

Classical Judgment

“Following has supreme success. Perseverance furthers. No blame.”

The classical judgment is the original oracle text — the answer the I Ching gives when this hexagram appears.

The Image

Thunder in the middle of the lake. The superior one at nightfall goes indoors for rest and recuperation.

The Image is a nature scene associated with this hexagram — a symbolic picture that distils its essence. In classic texts, meditating on the Image was considered the proper way to absorb the hexagram's teaching.

Nuclear Hexagram

Lines 2–5 of this hexagram form an inner hexagram called the nuclear hexagram. It reveals the hidden seed or underlying dynamic within the situation — what lies at the core beneath the surface.

In a Reading

When hexagram 17 appears in your reading, the I Ching is drawing your attention to the quality of adaptability. Sit with the Image — “Thunder in the middle of the lake” — and consider how this pattern is playing out in your current situation. The Judgment offers the oracle’s direct guidance on how to move with this energy rather than against it.