Hexagram 6
Conflict
訟
Upper
Heaven · 乾
the creative, strong
Lower
Water · 坎
the abysmal, danger
Contemporary judgment
Conflict is present. Two forces press against each other, each convinced of its own justice. Victory won by force here becomes tomorrow's defeat. The way through is not to overpower but to find where the misunderstanding lies and meet it honestly.
Image
Heaven turning upward, water flowing downward. Two forces moving in opposite directions. The superior person considers the beginnings of all they undertake, so that conflict is avoided before it arises.
Counsel
Do not push the dispute further. Seek a trusted mediator, or simply step back from the fight. Examine what you contributed to the tension; address that honestly rather than insisting the other must change. Compromise now is not defeat: it is wisdom.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A six at the beginning means: If one does not perpetuate the matter, there is a little gossip. In the end good fortune comes.
Line 2
A nine in the second place means: One cannot engage in conflict; one returns home and withdraws. The people of his town, three hundred households, remain free of guilt.
Line 3
A six in the third place means: To nourish oneself on ancient virtue gives perseverance. Danger. In the end good fortune comes. If you should enter the service of a king, seek no works.
Line 4
A nine in the fourth place means: One cannot engage in conflict; one turns back and submits to destiny, changes oneself and finds peace in perseverance. Good fortune!
Line 5
A nine in the fifth place means: To bring the conflict before him brings sublime good fortune.
Line 6
A nine at the top means: Even if a leather belt is conferred on one, by the end of a morning it will be torn from them three times.
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.