Line 1 Yin
An army must set out in order; failed discipline endangers the beginning.
← The 64 hexagrams
HEXAGRAM 07 · Shī
Organized Strength
Collective strength needs discipline and responsible leadership.
☷ Above: Kun · Earth☵ Below: Kan · Water
Meaning
Water held within earth suggests strength gathered from people. The army image asks whether purpose is legitimate, command is capable, and force is used responsibly.
FOR REFLECTION
Who takes responsibility for the consequences of the group's decisions?
The six lines
Read from line 1 at the bottom to line 6 at the top. These are paraphrases, not verbatim translations.
Line 2 Yang
The commander stands among the ranks and receives repeated commissions: authority serves.
Line 3 Yin
Army wagons carry the dead: failed organization has a human cost.
Line 4 Yin
The army falls back to camp: an orderly retreat need not be a fault.
Line 5 Yin
Respond to animals in the fields, but entrust command wisely or bring back casualties.
Line 6 Yin
After the campaign, assign public responsibilities without empowering the self-serving.
References
Classical Zhouyi · 師James Legge, The Yî King (1882), Sacred Books of the East XVI, hexagram 7
Editorial policy & bibliography →For reference and reflection. This commentary makes no certain claim about the future.