Want to Make Money but Fear Falling into Traps? The Ancients Teach You How to Make the Right Decisions

In ancient times, there was a shopkeeper who ran a small business. Seeing his fellow traders all following the trend to open new shops, he felt an itch he couldn't scratch. He specially went to a fortune-teller to have his fortune divined, and got the hexagram *Guai* (Breakthrough) of *Zetian*, with the changed hexagram being *Daguo* (Great Exceeding) of *Zefeng*. The fortune-teller looked at the hexagram and smiled: "Your foundation is really solid, you're just a bit too anxious."

Let's first look at the structure of this hexagram: five solid yang lines are stacked firmly at the bottom, with one yin line floating at the top. It looks like a jar full of silver, but with a small chip on the rim. You might say it's poor, but there's real value inside; you might say it's stable, but if you're not careful, money will leak out. In modern terms, it's a typical case of "solid foundation, minor leaks, and potential for breakthrough" — not yet at the point of winning without effort, but far from worrying about making ends meet.

Many people panic most when faced with this kind of neither-here-nor-there situation. They either rush to go all in on new projects or lie flat and dare not do anything. This is exactly because they haven't grasped the essence of decision-making. The *Book of Changes* says of the *Guai* hexagram: "Displayed in the royal court, sincere calls of warning have danger." To put it plainly: the problem is right there in plain sight. Don't pretend not to see it — taking the initiative to deal with it is better than anything else. If you want to improve your judgment, the first step is not to look outward for opportunities, but to first plug the holes within.

At first, the shopkeeper was unconvinced. He said: "My warehouse is full of goods, and I have enough money in the account. Where are the holes?" The fortune-teller counted on his fingers: "What about the batch of unsold silk you impulsively bought last month? What about the supply agreements you didn't sign clearly with your regular customers? And what about those rouge and powder memberships your wasteful wife signs up for every month?" The shopkeeper's face turned red when he heard this — it turned out that these trivial little things were exactly the yin line floating at the very top of the hexagram.

You see, what do many people do when they encounter difficulties? They always want to make a big move to turn things around, but the real turning point is hidden in the details. The first line of the *Guai* hexagram puts it clearly: "Strength in the front toes. Going forward without victory brings misfortune." Your toes are strong, and you want to run as soon as you lift your leg, but if you don't plant your first step firmly, you're the one who will fall. When it comes to wealth fortune, this means don't be in a hurry to dig new pits — first clean up the mess you have on hand. Collect the debts you're owed, clear out your excess inventory, and fix the contracts that need supplementing. Once these small things are sorted out, when you look at opportunities again, your vision will be much clearer.

The beauty of this hexagram lies even further: the inner hexagram formed by the middle lines consists of two *Qian* (Heaven) hexagrams, which means that if you really want to get things done, there are people around to help you — the experience of elders, the resources of friends, and the savings you've accumulated over the years are all your backing. Many people like to tough it out alone when making decisions, little realizing that asking for advice is also a skill. If you buy a drink for an old hand who's been in the industry for more than ten years, the one pitfall they point out to you may be more useful than three years of learning from your own mistakes.

As for the final changed hexagram *Daguo*, it's even more interesting: you'll either earn more than expected or spend more than expected — it all depends on how you choose. If you listen to the advice of the line statements, first plug the leaks and then advance steadily, that's an upward breakthrough: metal overcomes wood, and money flows into your pocket. If you get carried away, blindly follow others to invest, and even use leverage to gamble, that's a downward collapse, and the hole will only get bigger and bigger.

To put it bluntly, the ancient method of divination was never about giving you a fixed answer, but about helping you lay out the current situation for clear viewing. Having a good hand of cards isn't scary. What's scary is pretending not to see a small leak in your hand while rushing to raise the bet with others. Plug the leaks first, then play your hand slowly, and your chances of winning will naturally increase.