Is Moving to a New City for Development Right? Zhun Hexagram (Difficulty at the Beginning) Six in the Fourth Place: Secure Backup Before You Depart

Is it a good idea to move to a new city for career development?

Over the past couple of years, more and more people around me have been torn over this question.

Some have spent five or six years in a big city, worn out from the "floating" life, and want to move back to their hometown. But they’re afraid they’ll feel unfulfilled back home, or that people will say they "only came back because they couldn’t make it out there."

Others are fresh out of college, full of drive to test their luck in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Shenzhen. Their families can’t talk them out of it — they say there are more opportunities elsewhere, and you have to hustle when you’re young.

Then there are those who move from first-tier cities to new first-tier cities, or from new first-tier cities to Hangzhou or Chengdu, always chasing the "perfect" place to settle.

At the end of the day, it all boils down to one core question: **Where should I go?**

The I Ching (Book of Changes) has an answer for this. Just look at **the Fourth Line of the Zhun Hexagram (Difficulty at the Beginning)** and you’ll see.

What Is the Fourth Line of the Zhun Hexagram?

The Line Text (Yao Ci) for the fourth line of the Zhun Hexagram reads: **乘马班如，求婚媾，往吉，无不利。 (Chéng mǎ bān rú, qiú hūn gòu, wǎng jí, wú bù lì — "Horses circle in place; seek marriage alliance. Going forward is auspicious, nothing is unfavorable.")**

Wait, you might say — isn’t "horses circle in place" a line from the Second Line? Why is it in the Fourth Line too?

You’re right — both the Second Line and Fourth Line use "horses circling in place" to describe being stuck, torn between advancing and retreating.

But what’s the difference between them?

The Second Line says "ten years before one is betrothed" — it tells you to wait.

The Fourth Line says "going forward is auspicious, nothing is unfavorable" — it tells you to move.

Both are in a tight spot, so why does one say wait and the other say go?

Because their situations are different.

The Second Line is in true difficulty — it’s pressed from below by the First Line, and too far from the Fifth Line above. It’s stuck in the middle with no support on either side, unable to move, so it can only wait.

What about the Fourth Line? It looks stuck, but its foundation is solid. It sits in a yin position that is proper (line in proper position), so its place is correct. Below, it has resonance with the First Line (a solid foundation); above, it’s right next to the Fifth Line (a powerful supporter). Though there’s the Third Line in between, the overall path forward is clear.

That’s why the Fourth Line’s "horses circling in place" is only a temporary difficulty. As long as you move forward, there’s no misfortune.

The key is: how do you move forward?

"Seek marriage alliance" — first find allies, find backup, find your people, then set out.

The Xiang Commentary (Images) puts it well: "To seek and then go forward is wisdom."

Finding your people first before you move — that’s the smart move.

The First Principle of Moving Cities: It’s Not About How Good the City Is, It’s About Whether You Have Roots There

What do most people look at when choosing a city?

They check housing prices, how many opportunities there are, average salary levels, and whether the climate suits them.

All of these matter, but none are the most core factor.

What’s the most core thing? **Whether you have "roots" in that city.**

What are roots? They’re not a house, not a household registration. They’re your people, your circle, your resources, your foothold.

Let me tell you two contrasting stories.

A friend of mine quit his job with nothing lined up and moved to Beijing. Why? Because he said Beijing had more opportunities. What happened after he got there? He lived in a basement, sent out hundreds of resumes, interviewed at dozens of companies, and only found a job after three months. For the first six months, he ate instant noodles almost every day. After two years of grinding it out, he came back home.

He said it wasn’t that Beijing was bad — it was just that Beijing was so big, he felt like a nobody there.

Another friend, before moving to Shanghai, first got in touch with classmates and former colleagues there. The first month he arrived, he stayed at a classmate’s place. His job was a referral from a former colleague, so he got on the permanent payroll right away. On his first weekend, a friend of a friend introduced him to a whole circle of people. Six months later, his social circle in Shanghai was bigger than the one back home.

Both moved to big cities, but one was like a kite with a broken string, while the other was like a transplanted tree — moved with a root ball of soil, so of course their survival rates were different.

**The Fourth Line of the Zhun Hexagram** says "seek marriage alliance" — that’s exactly what this means. It’s not telling you to get married; it’s telling you to find your people, find your community, find a foothold first.

With backup, it’s "going forward is auspicious, nothing is unfavorable."

Without backup, it’s "going forward leads to humiliation."

Beijing Drifters, Moving Back Home, Going Abroad — How to Apply the Fourth Line to Different Choices

Enough big-picture talk — here are judgment methods for specific scenarios that you can use directly.

Scenario 1: Should I go test my luck in a big city?

Many young people fresh out of college want to go see the world in Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, or Shenzhen. I think that’s great — but don’t go empty-handed with no plan.

Before you go, ask yourself three questions:

First, do you have reliable friends, classmates, or relatives there?

This isn’t about having them support you financially — it’s about having a place to crash and someone to show you the ropes when you first arrive. That alone can save you six months of time.

Second, do you have a marketable skill?

Big cities don’t lack people — they lack skilled people. If you don’t know how to do anything, you’ll end up working the lowest-level jobs, same as back home, but more tiring.

Third, can you accept the worst-case scenario?

What’s the worst case? You go, you can’t make it, you run out of money, and you come home with your tail between your legs. If you can accept that outcome, go. If you can’t, think it over more.

Sort out these three questions before you leave. Don’t just buy a ticket on a whim and go. That’s not bravery — that’s recklessness.

Scenario 2: I can’t make it in the big city anymore — should I move back home?

This is the other extreme.

A lot of people grind it out in big cities for five or six years, don’t make much money, ruin their health, can’t afford a house, feel hopeless, and want to go back.

My advice to you: don’t act on impulse.

Going back is easy — coming back out again is hard.

Sort out a few questions first:

First, how will you make a living once you’re back?

Have you looked into the job opportunities, salary levels, and industry environment back home? Don’t just think "everything will be better once I go back" — you need to know exactly what you’ll do and how much you’ll earn.

Second, where will your social circle be when you go back?

For a lot of people, the biggest problem with moving back home isn’t work — it’s having no friends. Old classmates and friends have their own lives now, and you can’t just insert yourself back in. You’ll end up staying home every day, lonelier than you were in the big city.

Third, are you running away from your problems, or have you really thought this through?

If you want to go back to hide because you can’t make it, you’re too tired, you can’t take it anymore — then I’d say hold on a little longer. Because the problems you have to face will still be there when you go back; you’ll just be facing them in a different place.

If you’ve built up enough skills and resources, and moving back will let you develop even better — then go back. That’s called returning to your rightful place, not running away.

Scenario 3: Should I study abroad / immigrate?

This calls for even more caution.

Going abroad is different from just moving to another city. The language, culture, laws, daily habits — everything is new. It’s like starting your life over.

Before you go abroad, besides looking at school rankings and immigration policies, the more important thing is: do you have acquaintances there, a social circle, someone who can show you the ropes?

Toughing it out alone in a foreign country is the dumbest thing you can do.

The "seek marriage alliance" from **the Fourth Line of the Zhun Hexagram** is especially important when it comes to going abroad. Find your community first, have someone to back you up, so you can put down roots.

Why Both "Horses Circle in Place" — But the Second Line Says Wait, the Fourth Line Says Go

Let me break down the difference between the Second Line and Fourth Line for you.

Both lines describe difficulty, being stuck going in circles. But one tells you to wait, the other to go. Why?

Because their positions are different.

The Second Line is in the lower part, in the middle of the lower trigram. It has shallow roots and no support above. Any move it makes carries risk, so it can only wait.

The Fourth Line is at the start of the upper trigram. It’s already past the lowest stage, and very close to the Fifth Line (the ruler’s position). Though it faces difficulties, its direction is correct, its goal is clear, it has support above and roots below. As long as it moves forward, it will reach its destination.

Applied to the question of moving cities —

If you’re fresh out of college, have nothing and no skills, and just want to go to a big city on a whim — you’re the Second Line. Don’t rush. First gain some experience, save some money, build up some connections in your hometown or a second-tier city, then think about moving to a big city.

If you already have a few years of work experience, a marketable skill, and friends and opportunities in your target city — you’re the Fourth Line. Don’t hesitate, just move forward. Difficulty is normal, but as long as the direction is right, the hardship is only temporary.

Wen Laoshi often says: when you run into a problem, first ask yourself which line you’re on.

Different lines mean completely different strategies.

Don’t use a Fourth Line strategy for a Second Line situation, and don’t bring a Second Line mindset to a Fourth Line position.

Figure out where you stand, and you’ll know what to do.

Three Things You Must Do Before You Set Out

Finally, three action tips for everyone planning to move cities. Whether you’re going to a big city, moving back home, or going abroad, you have to do these three things.

First thing: **Find your people first.**

When you get there, reach out to everyone you can. Classmates, friends, relatives, former colleagues, friends of friends. Meet for meals if you can, grab coffee if you can. People are the foundation of everything. Without people, you’re just a lonely island.

Second thing: **Get settled first.**

What does getting settled mean? It means having a place to live, a job, a basic daily routine. Don’t start out thinking about buying a house, settling down permanently, or building a huge career. Get your feet on the ground first, then talk about everything else.

Third thing: **Establish your "feudal domain" first.**

"Establishing a feudal domain" is the core idea of the Zhun Hexagram. When you get to a new place, don’t just focus on work — you have to build your circle, make connections, find your community. How deep your roots are in a city depends on how many reliable relationships you have.

Do these three things well, and you won’t just be "floating" in the new city. You’ll have put down roots.

Only with roots can you grow upward.

One Last Thing

People move several times over the course of a lifetime.

When you’re young, you go out to see the world, to gain experience. When you’re older, you come back, find a comfortable place, and live a steady life.

No choice is inherently right, and no city is inherently the best.

What matters is — when you leave, are you prepared? When you arrive, is there someone there to meet you?

**The Fourth Line of the Zhun Hexagram** is for people who are getting ready to set out. It doesn’t tell you "go for it, you’ve got this," and it doesn’t tell you "don’t go, you’ll regret it."

It only tells you —

Line up your backup first, then set out.

If the direction is right, you have to go no matter how hard it is.

乘马班如，求婚媾，往吉，无不利。 (Horses circle in place; seek marriage alliance. Going forward is auspicious, nothing is unfavorable.)

The difficulty is temporary.

As long as you’re on the right path.