| Name | 师 Shī, “The Army” |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☷ 坤 Earth: receptivity and support |
| Lower trigram | ☵ 坎 Water: danger and depth |
The Judgment
贞，丈人吉，无咎。
Stay true. With a seasoned leader, fortune. No blame.
Big move, big stakes. Only works if someone steady is at the front.
The Image
地中有水，师；君子以容民畜众。
Water within the earth — The Army. The wise hold the people close and gather strength.
Real power is built quietly, inside the group, before it ever shows up outside.
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
师出以律，否臧凶。
An army marches with order. Without discipline — misfortune.
Energy without structure is chaos. Set the rules before you start moving.
Line 2 · second · Yang
在师中，吉，无咎。王三锡命。
In the middle of the army. Fortune. No blame. The king grants honors three times.
Lead from inside, not from above. Recognition comes to those who stay with their people.
Line 3 · third · Yin
师或舆尸，凶。
The army carries corpses. Misfortune.
Too many cooks, no clear leader. This formation can't win — restructure.
Line 4 · fourth · Yin
师左次，无咎。
The army retreats and camps. No blame.
Strategic pullback. Knowing when not to engage is its own kind of winning.
Line 5 · fifth · Yin
田有禽，利执言，无咎。长子帅师，弟子舆尸，贞凶。
Game in the field — wise to act. No blame. The elder son leads the army; the younger carries corpses. Stay true: misfortune lies ahead.
When the threat is real, the right person must lead. Putting the wrong one in charge ruins everything, even with a good cause.
Line 6 · top · Yin
大君有命，开国承家，小人勿用。
The great ruler issues commands — founds states, rewards families. Do not employ the petty.
When it's time to hand out wins, give them to people of substance. The small-minded will misuse the gift.
Related hexagrams
- Inverted (turned upside down): Hexagram 8, Holding Together
- Complement (every line reversed): Hexagram 13, Fellowship