同人 → 師
Hexagram 13: Fellowship → Hexagram 7: The Army
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 6 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Line 1
初九 同人于門。无咎。
Nine at the beginning means: Fellowship with men at the gate. No blame.
Line 2
六二 同人于宗。吝。
Six in the second place means: Fellowship with men in the clan. Humiliation.
Line 3
九三 伏戎于莽。升其高陵。三歲不興。
Nine in the third place means: He hides weapons in the thicket; He climbs the high hill in front of it. For three years he does not rise up.
Line 4
九四 乘其墉。弗克攻。吉。
Nine in the fourth place means: He climbs up on his wall; he cannot attack. Good fortune.
Line 5
九五 同人先號咷而後笑。大師克相遇。
Nine in the fifth place means: Men bound in fellowship first weep and lament, But afterward they laugh. After great struggles they succeed in meeting.
Line 6
上九 同人于郊。无悔。
Nine at the top means: Fellowship with men in the meadow. No remorse.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
望尚阿衡，太宰周公；藩屏湯武，立為侯王。
Looking up to the esteemed Yi Yin, Grand Steward the Duke of Zhou. Shielding Tang and Wu as bulwark; they were established as feudal lords.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Heaven and fire illuminate Fellowship's noblest form: the sage minister who shields and uplifts the realm. The verse invokes Yi Yin, titled Aheng, who rose from cookery to counsel King Tang of Shang, and the Duke of Zhou, Grand Steward, who stabilized the young Zhou state. These paragons served as 'screens and shields' for Tang and Wu, transforming their lords into true kings. From Fellowship to the Army, the transformation shifts from shared vision to disciplined mobilization. Water hidden within the earth, the Army's image, shows that genuine military power flows from the people's trust — and that trust is built by ministers of the caliber here celebrated.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store