Song 天水訟
A time when arguments come easily
Disagreements arise easily. Even winning costs you, so stepping back is the profitable move.
What does I Ching hexagram 6 (Conflict) mean?
Heaven and water move in opposite directions, and quarrels or disputes arise. Fighting to the bitter end does not pay.
- Conflict in love
- Hurt feelings can escalate into a fight, so step back.
- Conflict at work and with money
- A contract or dispute may arise, so put everything in writing.
- Advice
- Seek mediation rather than victory, and settle things early.
The judgment and the image
Judgment · Conflict
Misfortune“There is sincerity, but it is obstructed. Be cautious. Stopping halfway is lucky; carrying it to the end is not. It is fitting to meet a great person; it is not fitting to cross the great river.”
The Image: Heaven and water move in opposite directions: conflict. The noble person plans carefully at the very start of an undertaking.
原文 · 有孚，窒，惕，中吉，終凶。利見大人，不利涉大川。 / 天與水違行，訟；君子以作事謀始。
The six lines of hexagram 6
Lines are read from the bottom up. When you cast a reading and a line is changing, its statement becomes the key message.
Line 1 · 初六
Auspicious“Not prolonging the matter; a little gossip, but a good end.”
Drop the dispute early. A bit of talk follows, but it turns out well.
原文 · 不永所事，小有言，終吉。
Line 2 · 九二
Neutral“Unable to win the dispute, one returns home and slips away; a village of three hundred households is blameless.”
You can’t win this one, so step back. Withdrawing quietly keeps others safe from fallout.
原文 · 不克訟，歸而逋，其邑人三百戶无眚。
Line 3 · 六三
No blame“Living on past virtue; persistence is dangerous, but the end is good. If serving a king, no accomplishment.”
Rely on what you have already earned. It is tense, but works out, though you don’t get credit.
原文 · 食舊德，貞厲，終吉。或從王事，无成。
Line 4 · 九四
Auspicious“Unable to win the dispute, one returns, accepts the verdict and changes course; peaceful perseverance brings good fortune.”
Give up the fight and adjust your approach. Settling is lucky.
原文 · 不克訟，復即命渝，安貞吉。
Line 5 · 九五
Very auspicious“In the dispute, supreme good fortune.”
A fair, well-grounded position wins a dispute. Be sure you are really in the right.
原文 · 訟，元吉。
Line 6 · 上九
Neutral“Perhaps a leather belt is awarded; by the end of the morning it is stripped away three times.”
A prize won through conflict won’t last. Victory by fighting is empty.
原文 · 或錫之鞶帶，終朝三褫之。
Related hexagrams
- Opposite hexagram (every line flipped): 36. Ming Yi (Darkening of the Light)
- Reversed hexagram (turned upside down): 5. Xu (Waiting)
The classical text is in the public domain; the English translations and readings are our own, for reflection and entertainment.