師 → 乾
Hexagram 7: The Army → Hexagram 1: The Creative
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 4, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 師出以律。否臧凶。
Six at the beginning means: An army must set forth in proper order. If the order is not good, misfortune threatens.
Line 3
六三 師或輿尸。凶。
Six in the third place means: Perchance the army carries corpses in the wagon. Misfortune.
Line 4
六四 師左次。无咎。
Six in the fourth place means: The army retreats. No blame.
Line 5
六五 田有禽。利執言。无咎。長子帥師。弟子輿尸。貞凶。
Six in the fifth place means: There is game in the field. It furthers one to catch it. Without blame. Let the eldest lead the army. The younger transports corpses; Then perseverance brings misfortune.
Line 6
上六 大君有命。開國承家。小人勿用。
Six at the top means: The great prince issues commands, Founds states, vests families with fiefs. Inferior people should not be employed.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
一簧兩舌，佞言諂語。三姦成市，曾母投杼。
One reed, two tongues; flattering and fawning words. Three slanderers create a market rumor; even Zeng's mother throws down her shuttle.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water hidden within the earth marshals its forces, yet here deceit corrupts the chain of command. A double-reed tongue speaks flattery and slander; three schemers fabricate a marketplace of lies, and even Zeng Shen's mother throws down her shuttle. The allusion is famous: three separate people told Zeng's mother her son had killed a man. Twice she kept weaving in disbelief, but the third report broke her trust and she fled. From The Army to The Creative, disciplined collective action aspires toward heaven's self-renewing power — yet that ascent is sabotaged when flattery replaces honest counsel. The army's strength depends on trust; once slander poisons it, even the most devoted bonds shatter.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store