| Name | 讼 Sòng, “Conflict” |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☰ 乾 Heaven: strength and initiative |
| Lower trigram | ☵ 坎 Water: danger and depth |
The Judgment
有孚，窒惕，中吉，终凶。利见大人，不利涉大川。
With sincerity, blocked and cautious. Fortune in the middle, misfortune in the end. Wise to meet the great person. Not wise to cross the great water.
You have a real case, but a real fight will cost you. Find someone fair to mediate — don't take it all the way.
The Image
天与水违行，讼；君子以作事谋始。
Heaven and water flow in opposite directions — Conflict. The wise plan carefully from the start.
Conflict usually comes from a misaligned beginning. Set the terms up front and you save yourself the war.
The six lines
If a line changes in your cast, read its text below. Lines are numbered from the bottom.
Line 1 · first (bottom) · Yin
不永所事，小有言，终吉。
Do not prolong the matter. A little gossip, but fortune in the end.
Let it go early. The drama dies if you stop feeding it.
Line 2 · second · Yang
不克讼，归而逋，其邑人三百户，无眚。
Cannot win the conflict — retreat. Three hundred households spared. No misfortune.
Walking away isn't losing. It's protecting everyone who depends on you.
Line 3 · third · Yin
食旧德，贞厉，终吉，或从王事，无成。
Living off old virtue. Persevere through danger — fortune in the end. If serving a greater cause: no credit.
Coast on what you've already built. This isn't the season to chase recognition — just keep the integrity.
Line 4 · fourth · Yang
不克讼，复即命，渝，安贞吉。
Cannot win the conflict. Return to fate, accept change. Stay grounded — fortune.
Stop fighting the current. Adjust, accept, get quiet. Peace follows.
Line 5 · fifth · Yang
讼元吉。
Conflict resolved. Supreme fortune.
Justice lands, and it's fair. Rare moment — receive it without gloating.
Line 6 · top · Yang
或锡之鞶带，终朝三褫之。
Awarded a belt of honor — and stripped of it three times in one morning.
Winning by force means you'll keep losing the win. What you take through fighting won't stay yours.
Related hexagrams
- Inverted (turned upside down): Hexagram 5, Waiting
- Complement (every line reversed): Hexagram 36, Darkening of the Light