I Ching Oracle / Hexagrams / 7
The Judgement
Perseverance and a strong leader bring good fortune without blame.
Organized force under disciplined, trustworthy leadership.
The Image
In the middle of the earth is water; the noble one increases his masses by generosity toward the people.
This hexagram on ten matters
- WorkCAREER
- This calls for organisation and discipline, not individual heroics. An army must set forth in proper order — without rules, more people makes it worse.
- LoveRELATIONSHIP
- Boundaries and clear understandings are needed. Let the eldest lead the army: confusion over who is responsible is the main risk.
- MoneyFINANCE
- Favours planned allocation over scattered moves. There is game in the field — act only when the target is clear.
- HealthBODY
- Increasing the masses by generosity: the point is reserve, not expenditure. Stamina is your supply line; overdraw it and everything downstream fails.
- StudyLEARNING
- You need a system and a schedule. Unstructured hard work is the least efficient kind.
- An examEXAM
- Discipline and a plan. Follow the schedule; break the syllabus into small units and take them one at a time.
- PeopleSOCIAL
- Your role here is coordination. Inferior people should not be employed — judge character, not only capability.
- A choiceDECISION
- Proceed carefully and name who is accountable. The army carries corpses when responsibility is vague.
- TravelJOURNEY
- Travel with a plan. The army retreats, no blame — withdrawing or rescheduling is not failure.
- A lost itemLOST ITEM
- Search systematically: divide the area and eliminate it section by section. You can also ask others to split up and help.
The Six Lines
An army must set forth in proper order. If the order is not good, misfortune threatens.
An army must set forth in proper order. Set the rules at the outset. The misfortune in this line comes entirely from slack discipline, not from the opponent.
In the midst of the army. Good fortune. No blame. The king bestows a triple decoration.
In the midst of the army; the king bestows a triple decoration. You are central and trusted. The authority is real — use it.
Perchance the army carries corpses in the wagon. Misfortune.
Perchance the army carries corpses. Unclear command, unclear responsibility. The worst line in the hexagram; settle who is accountable before anything else.
The army retreats. No blame.
The army retreats, no blame. The line of withdrawal. Pulling back is not losing but preserving force, and the text says so plainly.
There is game in the field. It furthers one to catch it. Let the eldest lead the army.
There is game in the field. The target is clear and you may move — but let the eldest lead: the wrong person in charge loses everything.
The great prince issues commands, founds states, vests families with fiefs. Inferior people should not be employed.
The great prince issues commands; inferior people should not be employed. The line of closing and rewarding. Who you recognise now decides the next round.
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.