Advancing line (Jin Shen)

As a concept, the Advancing line is this: the moving line and the changed line are of the same element, but their branches differ in the forward direction of the order — for example Yin to Mao, Chou to Chen, or Shen to You.

Element	Advancing (moving → changed)	Retreating
Water	Hai → Zi	Zi → Hai
Wood	Yin → Mao	Mao → Yin
Fire	Si → Wu	Wu → Si
Metal	Shen → You	You → Shen
Earth	Chou → Chen	Chen → Chou
Earth	Chen → Wei	Wei → Chen
Earth	Wei → Xu	Xu → Wei
Earth	Xu → Chou	Chou → Xu

Example

Increase (Yi) changes to Inner Truth (Zhong Fu) Wind (Xun) Palace · Wood

Siblings	Mao Wood	Resp.
Offspring	Si Fire
Wealth	Wei Earth
Wealth	Chen Earth	Self
Siblings	Yin Wood			×		Siblings · Mao Wood
Parents	Zi Water

Here Siblings at Yin Wood changes into Siblings at Mao Wood, that is, the place of Yin Wood changes into Mao Wood, the same element Wood, advancing one place in the forward direction of the cycle of branches.

What an Advancing line signals

An Advancing line signals the increase of the line, and there the final result is always Prosperous — except in the case of an immediate question, where a Weak or Rootless moving line has little force yet, though in the long run it will certainly act.

At its simplest: the Advancing line — the line will always be Prosperous in the future, even if that goes past the moment the matter happens. But if the Advancing moving line is Weak or Rootless, then over a time counted in days and hours it still has not force enough to act on another line; only when counted in years and months does it count as an ordinary Prosperous line. A Resting line changing into Advancing counts as Prosperous at once.

Advancing and retreating in travel and marriage

Advancing and retreating have an exception in travelling far and in marriage. As to travelling far, changing into Advancing means going and never coming back, and retreating means they will come back, while Strength then reports the state of health of the traveller.

As to marriage, Retreating means a change of mind, for the Self line and for the Target line alike; and let it be said at once that if the Self line or the Target line is Void it is useless too, while if it is in the Tomb, at the clash of the Tomb there will be a new match. Six Clashes has nothing to do with it here.

A note on time: in a hexagram with an Opposing line advancing and Prosperous, the matter is pressing; if it is of Excessive strength it will answer at the Tomb.

With advancing and retreating, the thing to note is still the scale of the matter. There was a hexagram asking about a career, with the Opposing line moving and retreating, Prosperous at the Day and the Month, and afterwards it answered in the year that clashed the retreated branch, and the career came. Likewise there was a hexagram with a Prosperous Opposing line advancing, and death within the day.

The Advancing and Retreating line in events

The Advancing line and the Retreating line divide into two sides: people and events.

For whatever belongs to a fixed event in the future, such as money or a career, an Advancing line that is Prosperous reports a matter increasing more and more, and if it is Weak it will develop gradually towards success. But if the Opposing line changes into Advancing while it is Resting or Weak, one is obliged to end it quickly, before the moment when the later branch of that advancing chain is made real. For example: on a Yi Chou day, in the Chou month, the hexagram Increase (Yi) changing into Inner Truth (Zhong Fu) above:

If the question is about money, Wealth is in command and holds the mandate at the Day and the Month, and Siblings, although moving and changing into Advancing, is Weak; so end this transaction at once and the loss will be least, while if it is drawn out there will be nothing left.

This hexagram belongs to someone in the phone trade who asked at the end of last year, when they were having trouble getting goods shipped back to Vietnam. The shipping company had undertaken to refund the full value of the goods if they could not be brought back, and the person asked whether to trust them or to go through another company. Getting this hexagram, I said it had to be ended immediately or everything would be lost. It was settled that same day, so a consignment worth 10 billion cost only 100 million in odds and ends to move to another company; and not long afterwards the person reported that the earlier firm had gone bankrupt in debt and nobody could reach them.

People don't have much room for mistakes; but as for paying the price in the future, if there is one, let the future come to terms with itself — what belongs to the present, finish with the present first. Suppose an accident: if you know that tomorrow you are fated to crash the car, then don't go out tomorrow; and suppose that doing so shortens your life, at least you are still alive and in one piece for a while longer.

The Advancing and Retreating line with people

And in the case of people:

• Someone far away: the Advancing line means they will not come back, the Retreating line means they will come back; Strength tells us whether they are safe, and if it is Retreating and Weak, they will come back but have little life left
• Feelings: the Advancing line means it goes further and further, the Retreating line means losing heart half way
• Illness: the Advancing line means the illness eases day by day, the Retreating line means it gets worse day by day; if the question is about a minor illness and it is Prosperous, it will clear, but beware of the year that clashes away the Target line, which will be dangerous
• Between one person and another: the Advancing line means the relationship grows closer and closer, the Retreating line means they will certainly turn their faces and part

See also

• Retreating line
• Changed line, Moving line
• Near and distant matters, Timing
• Strength