初六：师出以律，否臧，凶。
Clear discipline is needed from the outset. Confused roles or an unsound purpose let greater numbers multiply mistakes and harm.
I Ching Hexagram 7
Shī · The Army
师 · Hexagram 7
Shi concerns organizing dispersed strength to meet a shared difficulty. Water within the Earth suggests capacity held among many people. A worthwhile purpose, trustworthy leadership, and clear discipline allow that capacity to act together instead of exhausting itself through disorder.
Upper trigram: Earth/Kūn
Lower trigram: Water/Kǎn
The situation you may be in
The situation may require more cooperation than enthusiasm or individual ability can supply. The essential questions are who should lead, why people are involved, and whether responsibilities are understood.
How to respond
Confirm that the aim deserves collective effort, then let someone experienced and accountable coordinate it. Clarify roles and respect people's capacity. Discipline should protect participants rather than serve one person's need for control.
Judgment and Image
Judgment
师：贞，丈人吉，无咎。
The Army. Perseverance and a strong leader bring good fortune without blame.
Image
地中有水，师；君子以容民畜众。
Water in the midst of the earth: The Army. The superior person increases his masses by generosity toward the people.
Applying it to real life
Love & relationships
When facing pressures together, treat the difficulty as shared rather than treating a partner as a subordinate. Agree on how everyday work, care, and practical commitments will be divided.
Career & work
Complex work benefits from a capable coordinator and consistent responsibilities. Competing instructions multiply confusion. Make room for recovery as well as organized effort.
Choice & decisions
Assess whether the people involved can carry the consequences, not merely whether the goal is attractive. Establish responsibility, resources, and a way to coordinate difficulties before committing.
Timing & pace
Concentrated action belongs after preparation. A necessary withdrawal can regroup strength, and completion should be followed by a return to ordinary life rather than endless mobilization.
The six changing lines
The lines unfold from the bottom upward, describing one pattern of change from its first appearance to its extreme. If your reading has a changing line, begin with that position.
九二：在师中吉，无咎；王三锡命。
A capable leader works among the group, accepts responsibility, and receives appropriate trust. That relationship makes coordination possible.
六三：师或舆尸，凶。
Poor leadership can produce serious loss. Numbers, confidence, and good intentions do not demonstrate competence; correct the leadership problem promptly.
六四：师左次，无咎。
Taking a better position to regroup is a responsible adjustment when conditions are unfavorable. Do not spend strength merely to appear continually on the offensive.
六五：田有禽，利执言，无咎。长子帅师，弟子舆尸，贞凶。
A real disturbance may need addressing, but responsibility belongs with experience. Favoritism or impulse in choosing who leads can turn justified action into loss.
上六：大君有命，开国承家，小人勿用。
When assigning lasting roles and rewards, consider character and long-term ability. A useful contribution in one struggle does not establish fitness for authority afterward.
A common misreading
Shi is not permission to attack or command others. Its military imagery emphasizes the responsibilities of collective action. Compliance obtained through fear damages the trust that organized effort needs.
Related hexagrams
Text and interpretation
Updated 12 September 2026Reviewed by MysticEast Research
This page preserves the Chinese Judgment, Image, and line texts of the received Zhouyi. MysticEast's modern explanations are newly written to emphasize stages of change and practical judgment rather than fixed good-or-bad predictions.
Read the Zhouyi at the Chinese Text ProjectLet the hexagram meet your actual question
A guide gives you the map. A cast made with a clear question can help locate the exact stage of change you are experiencing.