師 → 明夷
Hexagram 7: The Army → Hexagram 36: Darkening of the Light
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3).
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 3
六三 師或輿尸。凶。
Six in the third place means: Perchance the army carries corpses in the wagon. Misfortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
火烈不去，必殪僵仆。燔我衣裾，福不可悔。
The fierce fire does not relent; one must fall stiff and dead. It scorches my garment hems; blessings cannot be recovered.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water hidden within the earth faces the fury of uncontrolled fire. Raging flames refuse to depart; one who stays must surely fall dead. The fire scorches hems and garments — blessings lost beyond recovery. The verse warns against lingering in a burning situation: when destruction is already underway, hesitation is fatal. From The Army to Darkening of the Light, fire descends into the earth and is extinguished. The army's discipline meets the moment when light itself must be concealed to survive. The verse inverts this teaching: rather than dimming the light strategically, the subject is consumed by flames they should have fled. Knowing when to withdraw one's brightness is the difference between survival and annihilation.
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