The 64 hexagrams · No. 6
Hexagram 6: Conflict
Heaven and Water moving apart. Find the actual disagreement.
An original modern reflection on the I Ching image. This is not a translation of the classical Judgment or line statements.
Find the actual disagreement
Heaven rises and water flows downward: the image makes different directions visible. In a disagreement, facts, feelings, and expectations can become tangled together. Try identifying which of these needs a response. You may discover a practical misunderstanding, a boundary to state, or a difference that cannot be argued away.
A question to sit with
What do you most need understood: what happened, how it felt, or what needs to change?
One small step
Replace one sweeping accusation with a specific event and a clear request. Give the other person time to describe their version.
Reading the figure
The upper trigram is Heaven; the lower trigram is Water. The first line is at the bottom, and the sixth is at the top. You identify this hexagram from its six-line figure, not from a word match to your question.
Read the image alongside the actual circumstances you know. Notice what fits and what does not. The relating hexagram depends on your changing lines, so there is no single fixed “next hexagram” for this pattern.
Classical text · Hexagram 6
Original Chinese from the Zhouyi. The notes below are our own brief readings, followed separately by modern reflection prompts.
The Judgment
有孚，窒，惕，中吉，终凶。利见大人，不利涉大川。
Plain-language noteA sincere position can still meet obstruction and require caution. The text favors limits on escalation and recourse to sound, fair judgment over carrying a dispute to its bitter end.
All six line statements · bottom to top
Line 1
不永所事，小有言，终吉。
Plain-language noteNot prolonging the dispute leaves room for it to settle, even with some talk remaining. Consider what needs clarification and what can be allowed to end.
Line 2
不克讼，归而逋，其邑人三百户无眚。
Plain-language noteUnable to prevail in the dispute, the person withdraws and avoids drawing the community into it. The emphasis is limiting involvement, not using the three hundred households as a literal present-day count.
Line 3
食旧德，贞厉，终吉。或从王事，无成。
Plain-language noteRely on established standing and obligations while remaining aware of difficulty. Shared service can be carried out without competing for a separate claim to achievement.
Line 4
不克讼，复即命渝，安贞吉。
Plain-language noteWhen the dispute cannot be won, the stance changes and returns to a steadier commitment. Letting go of the need to prevail can restore room to move.
Line 5
讼，元吉。
Plain-language noteThe dispute is addressed through centered and fair judgment. A modern application can focus on evidence, suitable procedure, and a mediator whose judgment can be trusted.
Line 6
或锡之鞶带，终朝三褫之。
Plain-language noteA ceremonial belt won through the dispute is repeatedly taken away within the morning. The unstable honor calls the durability of that kind of victory into question.
Source: Zhouyi on Wikisource ↗
First selection: hexagrams 1–6. Chinese characters are presented in simplified form with edited punctuation; the glosses are one modern reading, not a word-for-word translation.
What changes when one line moves?
This map changes exactly one line at a time. If your cast has several changing lines, all of them flip together; the resulting pattern may differ from every row below. These are structural changes, not translations of the classical line statements.
| Changing position | Relating hexagram |
|---|---|
| Line 1 · bottom | 10. Treading |
| Line 2 | 12. Standstill |
| Line 3 | 44. Coming to Meet |
| Line 4 | 59. Dispersion |
| Line 5 | 64. Before Completion |
| Line 6 · top | 47. Oppression |
Learn how changing lines work →
Keep a reading journal
If this hexagram appeared in a reading, note your question, your six coin totals, and one thing you want to observe. Come back later to record what happened. Your notes can help you see how your understanding changed, even when a reflection did not fit.
Try the free three-coin I Ching tool →
Classical reference: The Book of Changes. English names vary by edition; the number, pinyin and figure make the identification clear. About our method and sources.