師 → 蹇
Hexagram 7: The Army → Hexagram 39: Obstruction
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 5).
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.
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
武庫軍府，甲兵所聚。非里邑居，不可舍止。
The armory and military depot; where armor and weapons are gathered. It is not a village dwelling; one cannot lodge or stay there.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water hidden within the earth concentrates military strength, and the verse describes exactly that: an arsenal and military headquarters where armor and weapons are stored. This is not a village or settlement — it is not a place for dwelling or resting. The warning is blunt: a weapons depot is no home. The army's infrastructure serves a purpose, but confusing it with a place of belonging is a dangerous error. From The Army to Obstruction, water sits atop the mountain in frozen impassability. The arsenal's concentrated force meets a landscape where forward movement is blocked. One must reflect and cultivate virtue rather than push blindly into terrain that refuses passage.
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