師 → 中孚
Hexagram 7: The Army → Hexagram 61: Inner Truth
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 5, 6).
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.
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
葛藟蒙棘，華不得實。讒佞亂政，使恩壅塞。
Kudzu vine smothers the thorn bush; flowers but no fruit. Slander and flattery disorder governance; causing grace to be blocked.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water hidden within the earth should nourish honest communication, but here parasitic vines smother the thorns they cling to, producing flowers but never fruit. Slanderers and flatterers corrupt governance, blocking the channels through which royal grace should flow. The kudzu vine (gelei) covering the bramble is a vivid metaphor for institutional parasitism: the organism that feeds on the host produces only showy blossoms while preventing any genuine yield. From The Army to Inner Truth, wind blows above the lake, and sincerity should reach even pigs and fish. Yet the verse describes exactly the opposite: false counsel clogs the channels of trust, making inner truth impossible to transmit.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store