師 → 訟
Hexagram 7: The Army → Hexagram 6: Conflict
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 4, 5, 6).
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
王孫季子，相與孝友。明允篤誠，升擢薦舉，為國幹輔。
Prince and young lord, together in filial friendship. Bright, sincere, and devoted; promoted and recommended, they become pillars of the state.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water hidden within the earth demands worthy leadership, and here princes and youngest sons assist one another in filial devotion and fraternal love. Bright, sincere, and steadfastly genuine, they are recommended and promoted to become pillars of the state. The verse celebrates meritocratic advancement within a well-ordered hierarchy — talent recognized and elevated because of authentic virtue, not mere ambition. From The Army to Conflict, the challenge sharpens: heaven and water move in opposite directions, and the newly promoted must navigate institutional tension. Yet their foundation in mutual trust and proven character ensures they can mediate disputes rather than be consumed by them.
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