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Napoleon Crossing the Alps
䷆

Hexagram 7

師

Shī

The Army

Napoleon Crossing the Alps — Jacques-Louis David, 1801

Jacques-Louis David painted Napoleon on a rearing stallion, crossing the Alps in May 1801. The Neoclassical portrait shows the First Consul wrapped in a gold-trimmed cloak that billows dramatically behind him, his right arm extended to point forward toward the mountain passes. The horse's front hooves lift off rocky ground; Napoleon sits firmly in the saddle, his face calm despite the apparent motion. Behind him, barely visible in storm clouds, soldiers and artillery struggle upward through the snow. This is not documentary painting but propaganda—Napoleon actually crossed the Alps on a mule, in clear weather, with his army already ahead of him. David painted the ideal of command: one man directing collective force through sheer presence and will.

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This is Shī (師), which combines Water (☵) above and Earth (☷) below. The character 師 originally depicted a military division under organized command, the multitude given direction by leadership. Water stored within earth: hidden reserves, potential force held under control until the moment of deployment. David's composition embodies this structure—the general visible and elevated, the troops implied but subordinate, moving as one body toward a single objective. David painted Napoleon on horseback leading his army across the Alps in 1800. The Neoclassical portrait shows the commander directing his troops, illustrating organized military force under centralized leadership. The Judgment declares: "The army needs perseverance and a strong man. Good fortune without blame." David painted the strong man, but the historical Napoleon understood the deeper requirement—that armies move through persistence rather than momentary heroism, that discipline sustains force more reliably than charisma. Zhou Dynasty military texts associated with this hexagram emphasized supply lines, morale, the capacity to maintain order during the chaos of campaign. The Image Text reveals the foundation of legitimate military power: "In the middle of the earth is water: the image of the army. Thus the superior man increases his masses by generosity toward the people." Water nourishes earth; command sustains soldiers through care rather than coercion. Napoleon knew this principle—he reformed military logistics, promoted on merit, shared rations with his troops. In the I-Ching's sequence, Shī follows Sòng: when conflict cannot be resolved through mediation, organized collective action becomes necessary. David's painting shows conflict transformed into coordinated movement, individual wills subordinated to common purpose under leadership that earns rather than demands obedience.

Upper Trigram

☷

坤 Kūn

Earth — Receptive

ElementEarthDirectionNorthFamilyMotherQualitiesreceptive, yielding, nurturing

Lower Trigram

☵

坎 Kǎn

Water — Abysmal

ElementWaterDirectionWestFamilySecond SonQualitiesdangerous, flowing, fluid

Classical Texts

The Judgment

The mass needs organization to become a force. This requires a strong leader—not through brutality but through character that inspires loyalty. Discipline achieved through respect, not fear. Such leadership brings good fortune without blame.

The Lines

Line 1

An army must set forth in proper order. If discipline breaks down at the start, the entire campaign fails. A just cause and valid orders are non-negotiable foundations.

Line 2

The leader stays in the midst of the army, sharing hardship and fortune. Good fortune, no blame. Recognition comes naturally—the king bestows honors because they're deserved.

Line 3

The army carries corpses in the wagon—defeat. This happens when someone other than the rightful leader interferes with command. Multiple authorities mean no authority.

Line 4

The army retreats. No blame. Facing a superior enemy, orderly withdrawal is the only correct procedure. Knowing when not to fight is as crucial as knowing how.

Line 5

Game appears in the field—now is the time to act. Let the experienced leader command. If the young and inexperienced take charge, the result is corpses. Persisting with wrong leadership brings disaster.

Line 6

Victory achieved. The great prince distributes rewards, establishes order. But inferior people must not be employed in this—they'll corrupt the peace that was won.

Yilin: Forest of Changes

From Jiao Yanshou's Forest of Changes (焦氏易林) — the verse for Hexagram 7 in its unchanging form. A Han dynasty collection of four-character verses interpreting every hexagram transformation.

Yilin artwork for Hexagram 7
烏鳴呼子，哺以酒脯。高樓之處，子來歸母。穡人成功，年歲大有，妬婦無子。

The crow calls its young, feeding them wine and dried meat. In a high tower's dwelling, the child returns to its mother. The farmer succeeds; the year's harvest is great -- but the jealous wife has no child.

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Water hidden within the earth returns to itself — the army unchanged, source and destination the same. A crow calls to its young and feeds them with wine and dried meat from a high tower, and the fledglings come home to their mother. The farmer's work succeeds, the year's harvest is abundant, yet a jealous wife remains childless. The verse layers domestic warmth against private sorrow: communal success cannot console personal barrenness. From The Army to The Army, there is no transformation — only the cycle repeating. Plenty flows for those aligned with the collective rhythm, while those consumed by envy find themselves excluded from the very abundance they covet.

中文注释

地中有水，師之不變卦，源與歸同。烏鳴呼子，哺以酒脯，高樓之處，子來歸母——母鳥喚雛，溫情可掬。穡人成功，年歲大有：農事豐登，眾皆受惠。然妬婦無子——群體之盛不能撫慰個人之空。師之自返，無所變化，唯循環往復。順應集體節律者豐收滿盈，妒忌自噬者反被排拒於豐盈之外。

Transformations

Hexagram 7 transforming into each of the 64 hexagrams, with Yilin verses.

䷀1䷁2䷂3䷃4䷄5䷅6䷆7䷇8䷈9䷉10䷊11䷋12䷌13䷍14䷎15䷏16䷐17䷑18䷒19䷓20䷔21䷕22䷖23䷗24䷘25䷙26䷚27䷛28䷜29䷝30䷞31䷟32䷠33䷡34䷢35䷣36䷤37䷥38䷦39䷧40䷨41䷩42䷪43䷫44䷬45䷭46䷮47䷯48䷰49䷱50䷲51䷳52䷴53䷵54䷶55䷷56䷸57䷹58䷺59䷻60䷼61䷽62䷾63䷿64

Related Hexagrams

Same upper trigram: Earth (坤)

䷁坤The Receptive䷊泰Peace䷎謙Modesty䷒臨Approach䷖剝Splitting Apart䷗復Return䷣明夷Darkening of the Light䷭升Pushing Upward

Same lower trigram: Water (坎)

䷃蒙Youthful Folly䷅訟Conflict䷜坎The Abysmal Water䷧解Deliverance䷮困Oppression䷺渙Dispersion䷿未濟Before Completion
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