師 → 節
Hexagram 7: The Army → Hexagram 60: Limitation
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 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 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
日月相望，光明盛昌。三聖茂功，仁德大隆。
Sun and moon gaze at each other; their light is full and flourishing. The three sages's abundant accomplishments; benevolence and virtue greatly prosper.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water hidden within the earth aligns with cosmic luminaries, and sun and moon gaze at each other in full radiance, their light at its most brilliant. Three sages accomplish great works, and benevolent virtue flourishes magnificently. The 'three sages' most likely refers to the sage-kings of antiquity — perhaps Yao, Shun, and Yu, or the Zhou founders Wen, Wu, and the Duke of Zhou — whose combined virtue created the golden age. From The Army to Limitation, water rests above the lake in measured proportion. The army's unchecked force is refined into governance by measured standards: the sages' achievement lies precisely in setting proper limits — regulating without stifling, constraining without crushing.
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