蠱 → 師
Hexagram 18: Work on the Decayed → Hexagram 7: The Army
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 3, 6).
Line 3
九三 幹父之蠱。小有悔。无大咎。
Nine in the third place means: Setting right what has been spoiled by the father. There will be a little remorse. No great blame.
Line 6
上九 不事王侯。高尚其事。
Nine at the top means: He does not serve kings and princes, Sets himself higher goals.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
二人異路，東趍西步；千里之外，不相知處。
Two people on different roads -- one heads east, the other steps west. A thousand li apart, neither knows where the other dwells.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind beneath the mountain scatters what should be joined, and the transformation descends into earth concealing water — the disciplined order of the Army. Two people take different roads: one hurries east, the other steps west. Separated by a thousand li, neither knows the other's whereabouts. The verse captures the desolation of parting without reunion — companions, allies, or lovers driven apart by circumstance. From Work on the Decayed to the Army, the scattered must be gathered under discipline. Where decay has dispersed people to the four winds, only organized collective action — water hidden within earth, the army's latent force — can restore order and bring the separated together again.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store