**Hexagram Case Story**: Chen, engaged in building materials trade

Lao Chen was in the building materials trade, having slogged away in the industry for over a decade. In recent years, as the real estate market declined, his business shrank drastically: from three stores down to one, and his staff was cut from more than twenty to four. In his own words, "I didn't die, but I'm barely hanging on by a thread."

After the spring of 2026, the market gradually picked up. Several old clients placed new orders, but Lao Chen remained uneasy—was this a real recovery, or just a last gasp? He dared not restock or expand, clutching his cash tightly, terrified of suffering another setback.

In late August, he could no longer sit still. He sought out a friend well-versed in the *Yi Jing* (Book of Changes) to cast a hexagram, reporting three numbers: 1, 1, 9.

After arranging the hexagram, his friend fell silent for a moment, then said, "This hexagram is quite interesting. The original hexagram is *Qian* (Heaven), with all six lines yang—pure strength and unwavering vigor. The inner (mutual) hexagram is also *Qian*, meaning there will be no detours along the way. The transformed hexagram is *Huoyan Dayou* (Great Possession, Fire over Heaven): the upper trigram *Qian* changes to *Li* (Fire)—the sun in the sky, illuminating all things."

Lao Chen couldn't quite follow. "Just speak plainly, will you?"

His friend smiled. "Put simply, you're going to take off in September."

The fifth line (nine in the fifth place) was the moving line, with the line statement: "Flying dragon in the sky. It is favorable to see the great man." His friend explained: The six lines of the *Qian* hexagram depict the entire journey of a dragon from lying low to soaring aloft. The first line (nine at the beginning) says "Hidden dragon, do not act"—a period of dormancy. The second line (nine in the second place) says "Dragon appearing in the field"—first signs of emergence. By the fifth line, the dragon has already flown up to the sky; this is the most auspicious line in the *Qian* hexagram. But the phrase "it is favorable to see the great man" is crucial—this isn't about you soaring alone; it's about meeting someone who can help you fly even higher.

Lao Chen was half-convinced.

His friend went on to analyze the five elements: Both the body hexagram and the function hexagram are *Qian* metal, a state called "mutual harmony" (*bi he*). Your energy aligns perfectly with wealth fortune, so you won't have to swim against the current. September corresponds to the eighth lunar month, when the metal qi of *shen* and *you* is at its strongest. With *Qian* metal in season, your energy will peak. The transformed hexagram has *Li* fire above and *Qian* metal below. Fire normally overcomes metal, but here *Li* fire is not here to conquer you—it's here to "illuminate" you. When sunlight shines on metal, it gleams brightly; this is called fire refining metal into a fine vessel. Thus the final image is "gaining substantial profit by recognizing the clear trend." Once you see the right direction, money will naturally follow.

"Mid-eighth lunar month, roughly mid-to-late September, will be the peak of this upswing," his friend said. "Focus on partnership invitations and information during that period. But there's one thing—"

His friend held up a finger. "The hexagram statement of *Qian* is four characters: *yuan heng li zhen* (origin, penetration, benefit, steadfastness). The last character, *zhen*, means uprightness. You'll have abundant energy now, but the smoother things go, the less you should let it go to your head. Don't use leverage, don't touch things you don't understand, don't fancy yourself a stock market genius. Collect your profits when you should, lock in gains by the end of the eighth month, and don't be greedy."

After returning home, Lao Chen pondered this all night. He thought of someone—Chairman Zhao of the provincial building materials association, whom he had met once at an industry summit. At the time, Zhao had said, "We should chat sometime when we get the chance." Lao Chen had always assumed it was just polite small talk and never dared to reach out.

In early September, Lao Chen sent Zhao a message, not expecting much. To his surprise, Zhao replied quickly and invited him for tea. They chatted all afternoon. It turned out Zhao had a material supply project for a municipal renovation in hand and was looking for a reliable supplier. He asked if Lao Chen was interested. Lao Chen suppressed his racing heart and said he would go back to draw up a proposal.

The project came through. The contract was signed in mid-September, with a value three times Lao Chen's total revenue from the previous year.

After that, two more upstream and downstream companies approached him for cooperation, all connected through Chairman Zhao. Following his friend's advice, Lao Chen invested half of his recovered funds in stocking and fulfilling the project, and put the rest into short-term wealth management products—not a cent went into the stock market. When someone urged him to use leverage to expand scale, he shook his head. "My dragon has just taken off. I don't want to flap its wings so hard they break."

At the end of September, the first payment for the project arrived. Lao Chen settled his suppliers' bills, gave each of his four employees a bonus, and dutifully deposited the rest in the bank.

That night, he sent his friend a WeChat message: "You were right. The dragon flies in the sky, but you have to know when to land."

His friend replied with four characters: "*Zhen zhe, zheng ye*" (Steadfastness means uprightness).