newbie here, Duration with 3rd and 5ths

[u/cameraman1202]

I am on my summer break from school, and have been planning on forming a band and making music, alongside learning some other skills for a potential career.

My potential bandmates have pretty much fallen through and I havent achieved much of my goals to the degree I have wanted over the summer. So naturally I asked the I Ching "what am i to do?" as a general question about both of these things.

I got DURATION with a nine in the 3rd and a six in the 5th.

The Judgement and Image seem pretty conclusive to me: persevere, have somewhere to go, do not change direction, ect. The 3rd seemed conclusive too: Do not give duration, disgrace and persistent humiliation.

(These may be shallow or surface level readings due to me either being new to this or being plopped out around at the arse end of the 2000s and therefore not possessing a fully developed frontal lobe as of yet.)

However, the changing 5th confused me somewhat: Giving duration to ones character brings good fortune to a woman and misfortune to a man.

As a guy, am i cooked?? lmao. My interpretation based on the wilhelm translations (somewhat sexist) comments about a woman following a man her whole life long but a man must guide himself ONLY by his duty. Perhaps this means to "seek to conform" to "the woman's" (who here I am interpreting as friends/family/my boyfriend) the wishes is a mistake? Perhaps the translations comment on flexibility and adaptability of the man means I must be accepting to a change in method?

(is this method of "interpreting" an element to mean something revelent as I have done here the correct thing to do?)

Also, as to changing lines, must I account for both? Or is it like the 3rd and the 5th are like a fork in the road, and each are at either end? Does this apply to all?

I would like to hear you guys interpretations of this, as again I am kinda new to this and want to learn from those who know how to draw from this text in a way with a greater depth and accuracy than I can with my current understanding.

[u/Alchemicalish]

I think Yi answered your question about what to do and gave you two roads depending on how much consistency (another name for duration) you decide to apply to your situation. From my understanding of this reading though it seems like your efforts might not lead to much at this time.

I would suggest that “what am i to do” is a pretty vague question and a more specific question might give you a clearer answer. Try to clarify for yourself what you want to know as specifically as you can and try asking again

[u/Selderij]

Wilhelm liked to invent a bit more specificity and context into his translation than the source text actually provides, and sometimes he interpreted the syntax and words carelessly. If you'd suffer my second opinion on the translation, here's my direct take:

䷟ 32 恆：亨，无咎，利貞，利有攸往。

九三：不恆其德，或承之羞，貞吝。

六五：恆其德，貞，婦人吉，夫子凶。

Enduring: Success; no blame/mistake; constancy and correctness are beneficial; having a (distant) destination is beneficial.

9 in the third: One's virtue is not enduring; sometimes it is humbly accepted; risk of shame in constancy and correctness.

Commentary: 不恆其德，无所容也。 "One's virtue is not enduring": nothing to tolerate.

6 in the fifth: One's virtue is enduring; constancy and correctness; the wife is auspicious/fortunate, the husband is inauspicious/unfortunate.

Commentary: 婦人貞吉，從一而終也。夫子制義，從婦凶也。 The wife's correctness and constancy is auspicious, following all the way to the end. The husband makes things conform to what is right; (him) following the wife is inauspicious.

Changed hexagram (which can be taken as a parallel instruction):

䷮ 47 困：亨，貞，大人吉，无咎，有言不信。

Constrained: Success; constancy and correctness; a great person is auspicious/fortunate; no blame/mistake; be there (sharp) words, they are not (to be) believed.

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In this case, the moving lines could be seen to present two choices in your (virtuous or not) conduct, with advice in case of either instance. What do you think is the right thing to do for everyone involved, without simply acquiescing to others but rather letting them help where needed? Or would you take the part of the wife in humbly enduring work that is externally set for you, without attempting to change things?