I Ching · King Wen 6
Hexagram 6: Conflict
䷅ 訟 Sòng · also called Arguing, Contention, Lawsuit · The Creative above The Abysmal
A dispute you are sincere in but cannot win outright: meet halfway, and take advice before going further.
disputearbitrationcompromiserestraintclarity
The meaning of Hexagram 6
Water below, heaven above: the two move in opposite directions and cannot meet. Conflict describes a disagreement that has hardened, where you may be in the right and still cannot carry it through by force. The tradition is specific: sincerity matters, obstruction is real, stopping halfway brings good fortune and pushing to the end brings misfortune. It recommends seeing the great person, meaning someone impartial who can arbitrate, and it says plainly that this is not the time to cross the great water, not the time for large undertakings.
The image. Heaven and water go opposite ways; the wise person considers the beginning in every undertaking.
- Advice
- Stop the dispute halfway, seek an impartial view, and start nothing large until it is settled.
- Warning
- Pursuing the conflict to the end, even when you are right, brings misfortune.
over
Structure: ☵ The Abysmal (Water) below, ☰ The Creative (Heaven) above. Nuclear hexagram 37, The Family. Every line reversed: 36, Darkening of the Light.
Hexagram 6 for love and relationships
An argument in which both of you feel right. Winning it is not available. The reading asks you to stop before the point of no return, to bring in a fair outside view if you need one, and to look at how the disagreement began.
Hexagram 6 for career
A conflict with a colleague, client or employer. Do not escalate to the end. Document your position, stay sincere, seek a neutral arbiter, and settle at the halfway point where you can.
Hexagram 6 for money
A dispute over money, or a deal going sour. The reading warns against litigation to the finish and against new ventures while the dispute is open. Settle if you can; do not expand while you fight.
Hexagram 6 for decisions
Do not decide in the heat of the conflict, and do not commit to anything large while it runs. The choice that lets you stop halfway with dignity is the better one.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
Awarded a belt of honour, and stripped of it three times before the morning ends.
Winning the conflict outright, and finding the victory cannot be held. What is gained by fighting to the end is taken away again and again. The line is the tradition's clearest statement that some victories are losses.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 47, Oppression. Read line 6 →
Contending before a just judge. Great good fortune.
An impartial, competent arbiter is available and the case is fairly heard. The line promises a good outcome when the matter is put into the right hands. This is the moment to seek judgement rather than to keep arguing.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 64, Before Completion. Read line 5 →
Unable to win, one turns back and accepts fate. Changing one's attitude brings peace.
The stronger party who realises that pressing the advantage would be wrong. Turning back voluntarily, and changing how you regard the dispute, brings a settled peace that winning would not have.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 59, Dispersion. Read line 4 →
Living on old merit; danger, but a good end. Serving a king, one claims no credit.
Your standing rests on past work rather than on winning this argument, and that is enough if you do not insist on new recognition. Keep to what you have earned and let the credit for the outcome go to others.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 44, Coming to Meet. Read line 3 →
Unable to win, one goes home and withdraws. The people of the town are spared.
You face a stronger opponent. Withdrawing is not cowardice; it protects the people who depend on you from the fallout of a fight you cannot win. Retreat here is a form of responsibility.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 12, Standstill. Read line 2 →
Do not carry the matter on. There is a little talk, but the end is fortunate.
At the start, the best move is to let the dispute go. Some criticism follows, and it does not matter; dropping it early costs almost nothing and saves everything the later lines describe.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 10, Treading. Read line 1 →
Related hexagrams
Cast your own reading
Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.
Ask the I Ching →Common questions
- What does I Ching Hexagram 6 mean?
- A dispute you are sincere in but cannot win outright: meet halfway, and take advice before going further. Water below, heaven above: the two move in opposite directions and cannot meet. Conflict describes a disagreement that has hardened, where you may be in the right and still cannot carry it through by force. The tradition is specific: sincerity matters, obstruction is real, stopping halfway brings good fortune and pushing to the end brings misfortune. It recommends seeing the great person, meaning someone impartial who can arbitrate, and it says plainly that this is not the time to cross the great water, not the time for large undertakings.
- What does Hexagram 6 mean for love?
- An argument in which both of you feel right. Winning it is not available. The reading asks you to stop before the point of no return, to bring in a fair outside view if you need one, and to look at how the disagreement began.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 6 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 10, Treading; line 2 gives Hexagram 12, Standstill; line 3 gives Hexagram 44, Coming to Meet; line 4 gives Hexagram 59, Dispersion; line 5 gives Hexagram 64, Before Completion; line 6 gives Hexagram 47, Oppression. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 36, Darkening of the Light.