Heaven rises and water flows down; they go opposite ways. Song is about disputes, from arguments to legal cases. It does not say you are wrong. It warns that pursuing a conflict to the bitter end tends to cost more than it gains. Seek a fair mediator, settle halfway if you can, and prevent future conflict by making things clear at the start.
Judgment
訟：有孚窒惕，中吉，終凶。利見大人，不利涉大川。
Dispute: there is sincerity, but it is blocked. Wariness: good fortune if one stops midway, misfortune if one goes to the end. Favorable to see the great person. Not favorable to cross the great river.
Image
天與水違行，訟；君子以作事謀始。
Heaven and water travel in opposite directions: dispute. Taking this as a model, the noble one plans carefully at the outset of every undertaking.
- Disputes and disagreements
- The cost of winning
- Seeking fair mediation
- Prevention through clarity
- Knowing when to stop
- conflict
- dispute
- mediation
- compromise
- clarity
- restraint
- Being right does not make a fight worth finishing.
- A fair third party can resolve what two sides cannot.
- Clear agreements at the start prevent conflict later.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Six at the beginning 初六
Line text
不永所事，小有言，終吉。
Not prolonging the matter. A few words are spoken; in the end, good fortune.
The conflict is at its very beginning. Let it go before it grows; a few words may be exchanged, but dropping it early ends well.
- Dropping a dispute early
- Avoiding escalation
- Turning a small disagreement into a battle
- Ending the matter with minimal friction
Line 2Nine in the second place 九二
Line text
不克訟，歸而逋，其邑人三百戶，无眚。
Unable to win the dispute, one goes home and slips away. The three hundred households of one's town come to no harm.
Facing a stronger opponent, withdrawal is not cowardice but wisdom. Retreating protects you and those who depend on you.
- Strategic retreat
- Protecting dependents
- Pride that insists on an unwinnable fight
- Safety for you and others through stepping back
Line 3Six in the third place 六三
Line text
食舊德，貞厲，終吉。或從王事，无成。
Living on long-held merit. Steadfastness in danger; in the end, good fortune. Perhaps in the king's service: no achievement.
Rely on what you have honestly earned, and do not grasp for more by contention. Serving a larger cause without claiming credit keeps you secure.
- Relying on what is yours
- Modesty in service
- Grasping for credit or more than your share
- Security through modest steadiness
Line 4Nine in the fourth place 九四
Line text
不克訟，復即命，渝安貞，吉。
Unable to win the dispute, one turns back and accepts what is decreed, changes and settles into steadfastness. Good fortune.
You may be inclined to fight but recognize that the conflict is not justified. Changing your stance and accepting what is right brings inner peace and a good outcome.
- Changing your stance
- Accepting what is right
- Fighting from restlessness rather than right
- Inner peace through a change of heart
Line 5Nine in the fifth place 九五
Line text
訟元吉。
Disputing before a just arbiter: supreme good fortune.
When a fair and strong arbiter is present, a dispute can be settled properly. If you are in the right, a just process will vindicate you.
- Fair arbitration
- Just resolution
- Avoiding a fair process out of fear
- A clear and fair settlement
Line 6Nine at the top 上九
Line text
或錫之鞶帶，終朝三褫之。
Perhaps one is awarded a leather belt of rank; by the end of the morning it has been stripped away three times.
Winning a conflict by pushing it to the extreme brings a victory that does not last. What is won through endless contention must be defended endlessly.
- Hollow victory
- Endless contention
- Winning in a way that invites further attack
- Seeing that peace is worth more than the prize
Related hexagrams
Have a question on your mind?
Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
The upper trigram, Heaven, moves upward; the lower, Water, flows downward. When two parties pull in opposite directions, conflict follows. The judgment is realistic: you may be sincere and still be blocked. The reading may suggest that stopping halfway, finding a compromise or an impartial judge, is better than fighting to the end, even if you are in the right.
The image looks to prevention. Most conflicts start with unclear agreements or mismatched expectations, so the noble one thinks carefully at the beginning. It is not a time for bold ventures ("crossing the great river"), because unresolved conflict undermines them. In relation to a question, Song may emphasize de-escalation, fair process and how much a win would really be worth.