師 → 隨
Hexagram 7: The Army → Hexagram 17: Following
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 4, 5).
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 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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
干旄旌旗，撫幟在郊。雖有寶玉，无路致之。
Banners and pennants, feathered standards; holding ensigns in the field. Though there are precious jades; there is no road to deliver them.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water hidden within the earth arrays the host under banners and flags. Pennants of yak-tail and feathered standards wave in the suburban fields — a grand military display. Yet despite possessing precious jade, there is no road to deliver it. The scene captures the frustration of power without passage: the army is mustered, the treasure is real, but the way forward is blocked. From The Army to Following, thunder rests within the lake as evening falls. The banners and treasure suggest readiness, but Following's wisdom lies in knowing when to rest rather than force a path. Sometimes the commander must wait for the way to open rather than march into impassable ground.
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