The Army 師
The Army shows hidden strength held together by a leader and a shared aim. Success comes from order and fairness, not from sheer numbers.
Judgment
The army needs perseverance and an experienced, steady leader. With these, good fortune comes and there is no blame.
Image
There is water in the middle of the earth; this is the picture of the army. The wise person is generous to the people and so gathers more of them to their side.
What does The Army mean?
Water has collected beneath the earth. There is a great strength here that cannot be seen. A single solid line holds five broken lines together, meaning one leader and one purpose unite a scattered crowd. In your life, too, there may be a struggle, a large project or a task that involves many people. Work like this does not move forward alone. Everyone needs to face the same direction and believe in the same goal.
In a situation like this, success comes less from the amount of strength than from its order. It should be clear who does what, and the rules should be the same for everyone. The person who holds power must be fair and experienced, or people will scatter. An army is a last resort; the aim is not to fight but to do what is needed and restore order. What is asked of you is either to take on such a responsibility seriously or to serve with discipline beside a good leader. To win people's trust, treat them well first. Loyalty is earned through fairness, not through orders. If you are the leader, stand among people, not in front of them. If you are not, carry out your task fully and do not disturb the order.
What to do now
Set your order in place before you gather your strength.
Love and relationships
A shared goal and a clear arrangement strengthen the bond. Talk about who takes on what. Leaving all control to one side or giving constant orders cools love.
Work and money
A period that calls for teamwork, organization and discipline. Make roles clear and give authority to the right person. Planned spending and close tracking protect your money.
The lines
If a line changed (red) in your reading, read only that line. Lines are counted from the bottom up.
- First line
The army sets out in good order. If discipline is missing at the start, the end is bad no matter how good things look.
- Second line
Being in the middle of the army is a good sign. A leader who leads from among the people, together with them, is without blame; the king honors them three times.
- Third line
The army carries corpses in its wagons. When those without authority make decisions, or there is more than one head, defeat follows.
- Fourth line
The army retreats. When there is no chance of winning, an orderly retreat is no fault.
- Fifth line
There is game in the field, and catching it is favorable. But the work should be led by someone experienced; leave it to the inexperienced and there will be loss.
- Top line
The great ruler issues commands, founds states and rewards families. Even when handing out rewards, do not put petty people in positions of power.
Trigrams
receptive, yielding
deep, dangerous
Related hexagrams
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