師 → 否
Hexagram 7: The Army → Hexagram 12: Standstill
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 2, 4, 5, 6).
Line 2
九二 在師中吉。无咎。王三錫命。
Nine in the second place means: In the midst of the army. Good fortune. No blame. The king bestows a triple decoration.
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
羿張烏號，彀射天狼。柱國雄勇，鬭死滎陽。
Yi draws the Black Cry bow, aiming at the Celestial Wolf. The pillar of the state, heroic and brave; fighting to the death at Xingyang.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water hidden within the earth commands the host, yet even the mightiest archer meets a closed sky. Archer Yi draws the Wuhao bow and takes aim at the Heavenly Wolf star — the celestial emblem of invasion and aggression. A pillar-of-state, heroic and fierce, fights to the death at Xingyang. The verse links mythological martial prowess with historical military catastrophe: supreme skill and courage are not enough when heaven itself is obstructed. From The Army to Standstill, earth and heaven sever their exchange. The warrior's valor is wasted in a cosmos that refuses to cooperate; the gates of communication between ruler and subject slam shut.
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