I Ching Oracle / Hexagrams / 6
The Judgement
You are sincere and are being obstructed. Caution brings good fortune; carrying the conflict to the bitter end brings misfortune.
Litigation drains all sides; seek settlement, plan the beginning well.
The Image
Heaven and water go their opposite ways; the noble one considers the beginning of every affair.
This hexagram on ten matters
- WorkCAREER
- Conflict costs far more than it wins. Caution brings fortune, carrying it to the end brings misfortune — stopping early is what pays.
- LoveRELATIONSHIP
- Who is right has stopped being the point. Consider the beginning of every affair: most of this traces back to something never made explicit at the start.
- MoneyFINANCE
- Signs of a money dispute or a disagreement over accounts. Do not cross the great water — settle the old ledger before committing anything new.
- HealthBODY
- Sustained tension has real physical cost. Find a release rather than enduring it.
- StudyLEARNING
- Comparing yourself to others will drain you. Bring your attention back to your own progress.
- An examEXAM
- You may be fighting yourself or comparing with others. In the exam, do not fixate on one question; winning one point can cost the whole paper.
- PeopleSOCIAL
- Words turn against you easily. Not perpetuating the affair brings good fortune in the end — stopping mid-sentence is the better outcome.
- A choiceDECISION
- Do not fight; settle. It furthers one to see the great person — a third party both sides trust beats a direct clash.
- TravelJOURNEY
- Travel is unfavourable here. Postponing or shortening the trip beats forcing it.
- A lost itemLOST ITEM
- Others may be involved, possibly with a dispute. Report important items as lost first; do not argue over ownership.
The Six Lines
If one does not perpetuate the affair, there is a little gossip. In the end, good fortune.
Not perpetuating the affair; a little gossip. Stop the dispute as it starts. This line proves that leaving something unfinished is the better outcome.
One cannot engage in conflict; one returns home and gives way.
One cannot engage in conflict; return home and give way. Not cowardice — this is the strategy the line explicitly prescribes.
To nourish oneself on ancient virtue induces perseverance. Danger, but in the end good fortune.
Nourish yourself on ancient virtue. Live on what you already have and do not contend. Pressure in the process, good in the end.
One cannot engage in conflict. One turns back and submits to fate.
One cannot engage in conflict; turn back and submit to fate. The line of changing your mind. Admit the position is untenable and turn.
To contend before him brings supreme good fortune.
To contend before him brings supreme good fortune. Central and correct — the only clearly fortunate line here: right, and right in the proper way.
Even if by chance a leather belt is bestowed, by the day's end it is snatched away three times.
A leather belt bestowed, snatched away three times by day's end. Even a won dispute does not hold. The hexagram's coldest verdict on victory.
The governing line
Nuclear · Opposite · Reverse
The nuclear hexagram shows the middle stretch of the matter; the opposite is the same situation seen from the reverse position; the reverse is the view from the other party's side.