遯 → 師
Hexagram 33: Retreat → Hexagram 7: The Army
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Line 2
六二 執之用黃牛之革。莫之勝說。
Six in the second place means: he holds him fast with yellow oxhide. No one can tear him loose.
Line 3
九三 係遯。有疾厲。畜臣妾吉。
Nine in the third place means: A halted retreat Is nerve-wracking and dangerous. To retain people as men- and maidservants Brings good fortune.
Line 4
九四 好遯。君子吉。小人否。
Nine in the fourth place means: Voluntary retreat brings good fortune to the superior man And downfall to the inferior man.
Line 5
九五 嘉遯貞吉。
Nine in the fifth place means: Friendly retreat. Perseverance brings good fortune.
Line 6
上九 肥遯无不利。
Nine at the top means: Cheerful retreat. Everything serves to further.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
堅固相親，曰篤无患，六體不易，執以安全，雨師駕西，濡我轂輪，張伯李季，各坐關門。
Steadfast bonds, mutual closeness; firm and sure, without calamity. The six limbs do not shift; held fast in safety. The Rain Master drives west, soaking our wheel hubs. Zhang Bo and Li Ji each sit guarding their gates.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Heaven above the mountain withdraws into earth concealing water — the Army's disciplined containment. Bonds are firm and loyal, steadfast and without danger. The six joints of the body remain unshaken, held in secure alignment. Then the Rain Master drives westward, soaking hub and wheel. Zhang Bo and Li Ji each sit guarding their own gates. The verse layers defensive solidarity with watchful isolation: the body politic holds firm while each sentinel mans his post, even as the rain god drenches the roads. From Retreat to the Army, strategic withdrawal crystallizes into military discipline. The retreating force does not scatter — it consolidates. Each officer guards his gate; the formation remains unbroken. The rain merely tests what was already fortified through principled retreat.
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