Hexagram 51 · Line 3
The Arousing — 三九
Zhen · San Jiu
三九 · San Jiu
The Line
Shock comes and makes one lose one's composure. If one acts in consequence of the shock, one remains free of misfortune.
Interpretation
There are three kinds of shock: the shock of heaven, that is thunder; further, the shock of fate; and finally, the shock of the heart. Here it is less a matter of inner shock than of the shock of fate. In such times of shock one too easily loses composure, so that one fails to recognize all possibilities of action and silently lets fate take its course. If one lets oneself be brought to inner movement through the shock of fate, one will overcome the outer blows of fate without great effort.