Hexagram 7 of 64
师 shī
The Army
坤 (kūn, Earth) above · 坎 (kǎn, Water) below
The Judgment 卦辞
Great undertakings need an army — and armies need discipline and a worthy general. Rally people around a just cause, keep order, and be moderate in victory.
The Image 大象
Water hidden within the earth: the army of the people. The wise person is generous to all, because the crowd carries the undertaking.
The six lines 爻辞
Each line of 师 has its own classical text. If a line in your cast is changing, its text is the heart of your reading.
Line 1 · 初六
The army marches on discipline. Without order, even the strongest campaign fails.
「师出以律，否臧凶」
Line 2 · 九二
Holding the center of the army — trusted, honored three times by the king. Good fortune.
「在师中吉，无咎，王三锡命」
Line 3 · 六三
The army carts home the fallen. Misplaced leadership costs lives.
「师或舆尸，凶」
Line 4 · 六四
The army camps on safe ground. A well-chosen withdrawal does no harm.
「师左次，无咎」
Line 5 · 六五
Game in the field: you are right to take a stand. Name what is wrong — no blame.
「田有禽，利执言，无咎」
Line 6 · 上六
The ruler hands out rewards — but give no authority to the petty. Victory has aftermath.
「大君有命，开国承家，小人勿用」
If you drew this in a reading
A pattern of tension and craft. This hexagram belongs to the large middle family of mixed patterns: it works, but only along its own grain. Read the Judgment closely — mixed hexagrams usually name the exact condition on which their promise depends.
In yes/no questions this hexagram reads as “not yet clear” — the answer hinges on timing and execution.
The trigrams give the flavor: 坤 (Earth) above — receptive devotion — nourishment, patience, carrying others — over 坎 (Water) below — the abysmal — depth, danger, flow through difficulty. Where those two energies meet, 师 is born.
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