Hexagram 7 Shi - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of the Campaign
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BY NICOLE LAU
Hexagram 7 Shi - Complete Guide Part 2: The Six Lines and the Stages of the Campaign
Shi's six lines tell the complete story of organized collective action - from the disciplined departure that sets the conditions for success, through the general's central authority, the dangers of disorder, the wisdom of strategic retreat, and finally to the rewards and dangers of victory. Each line reveals a different stage of the campaign and a different quality of leadership required.
Line 1 - Six at the Bottom: Disciplined Departure
The army must set forth in proper order. If the order is not good, misfortune threatens.
The very beginning of the campaign. The counsel is foundational: the army must set forth in proper order. The beginning determines everything that follows. Proper order means clear purpose (why are we doing this?), clear authority (who is in command?), clear discipline (what are the rules of conduct?), and clear objectives (what does success look like?). The army that departs in disorder is not an army but a mob - and the mob brings misfortune not only to its enemies but to itself and to the people it is supposed to serve.
When this line appears: You are at the beginning of a significant collective undertaking. Establish proper order before proceeding. The misfortune that threatens when the order is not good is real.
Line 2 - Nine in the Second Place: The General's Authority
In the midst of the army. Good fortune. No blame. The king bestows a triple decoration.
The central position: the only yang line in Shi - the strong man of the Judgment, the single person of genuine strength and wisdom around whom the entire collective is organized. The general is not at the top (commanding from a distance) but in the midst of the army (leading from within). The king bestows a triple decoration: the highest recognition, given three times, for the general who leads from within and achieves the campaign's objectives. The most effective leadership is embedded leadership - the leader who is genuinely in the midst of the people they lead.
When this line appears: You are in the central leadership position. Lead from within. Maintain genuine presence with those you lead. The triple decoration comes to the leader who is genuinely in the midst of the collective action.
Line 3 - Six in the Third Place: The Army in Disorder
Perchance the army carries corpses in the wagon. Misfortune.
The army has suffered a serious defeat and is carrying its dead back in the wagons. This is the image of a campaign that has gone badly wrong - a fundamental failure of leadership or organization that has resulted in serious loss. The misfortune is not random; it is the direct consequence of organizational failures: the army that set forth without proper order (Line 1 violated), that lost its central authority (Line 2 absent), or that was sent on a campaign without legitimate purpose. The classical commentaries point to multiple commanders as a primary cause - too many people claiming authority, none of them the genuine strong man of Line 2.
When this line appears: Something has gone seriously wrong. The loss is real. Do not minimize it or continue without addressing the organizational failures that caused it. This is a call to fundamental reassessment, not tactical adjustment.
Line 4 - Six in the Fourth Place: Strategic Retreat
The army retreats. No blame.
The army retreats - not the defeat of Line 3 (which carries corpses) but the strategic retreat of a disciplined army that recognizes the current position is untenable and withdraws in good order. No blame: the strategic retreat is not a failure but a demonstration of the general's wisdom. The army that can retreat in good order preserves its strength for the next engagement. The army that cannot retreat - that continues to fight from an untenable position out of pride or stubbornness - suffers the defeat of Line 3. The general who orders a strategic retreat is not blamed; the blame falls on the general who refuses to retreat when retreat is the wise course.
When this line appears: The current position is untenable. Retreat in good order. Preserve your strength for the next engagement. The strategic retreat is the wise course, not the shameful one.
Line 5 - Six in the Fifth Place: Wise Delegation
There is game in the field. It furthers one to catch it. Without blame. Let the eldest lead the army. The younger son carries corpses. Perseverance brings misfortune.
The ruler's position - occupied by a yin line, not yang. The ruler is not the general but the person who gives the general their mandate. The game in the field is the legitimate objective; it furthers one to catch it. The crucial counsel: let the eldest lead the army. The eldest is the experienced, proven leader - the strong man of the Judgment. The younger son who carries corpses is the inexperienced leader given command without genuine strength and wisdom. The success of organized collective action depends not only on the legitimacy of the objective but on the quality of the leadership. The right objective with the wrong leader produces the corpses of Line 3; with the right leader, the triple decoration of Line 2.
When this line appears: You have a legitimate objective. The crucial question is who is leading. Ensure leadership is in the hands of the right person - the experienced, the genuinely strong. The wrong leader with the right objective still produces misfortune.
Line 6 - Six at the Top: The Rewards and Dangers of Victory
The great prince issues commands, founds states, vests families with fiefs. Inferior people should not be employed.
The campaign has succeeded. The great prince now distributes the rewards of victory: founding new states, vesting families with fiefs. But the crucial warning: inferior people should not be employed in positions of authority. The victory that is consolidated by placing inferior people in positions of authority will not hold. The inferior people are not necessarily bad; they are people who lack the genuine strength, wisdom, and discipline the positions require. The great prince who distributes rewards based on genuine merit consolidates the victory in a way that endures.
When this line appears: You have achieved significant success. The crucial question is how you consolidate it. Distribute rewards based on genuine merit. Ensure positions of authority go to people of genuine strength and wisdom. Inferior appointments will undermine the victory.
The Complete Journey
- Line 1: Disciplined departure - establish proper order before setting forth
- Line 2: The general's authority - lead from within; the triple decoration
- Line 3: The army in disorder - corpses in the wagon; consequence of poor leadership
- Line 4: Strategic retreat - no blame; preserve strength for future action
- Line 5: Wise delegation - let the eldest lead; wrong leader brings misfortune
- Line 6: The rewards of victory - found states wisely; do not employ inferior people
The consistent theme throughout: the quality of leadership. The strong man of the Judgment is the condition for good fortune at every stage of the campaign.
What Is Next in This Series
- Part 1: The Symbol and Structure
- Part 2 (This Article): The Six Lines - Complete Line-by-Line Commentary
- Part 3: Divination Guide - How to Read Shi in Practice
- Part 4: Philosophy - Shi in Confucian, Taoist, and Military Thought
- Part 5: Practical Applications - Leadership, Organizations, Teams, Personal Discipline
- Part 6: Modern Interpretations - Organizational Theory, Leadership Science, Contemporary Relevance
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This journey through the stages of collective action mirrors the disciplined structure I find so grounding in my own practice — the Sacred Space Cleanse for establishing proper order before any undertaking, the 40 Manifestation Rituals for the steady discipline of a long campaign, the 13 New Moon Rituals for aligning with natural cycles of beginning and retreat, the 30-Day Tarot Practice Workbook for developing the clarity of leadership from within, and the 52-Week Tarot Journey for the wisdom that consolidates victory over time.
