Hexagram 6 · Conflict
訟 · Sòng
The Judgment
Conflict. You are sincere and are being obstructed. A cautious halt halfway brings good fortune. Going through to the end brings misfortune. It furthers one to see the great man. It does not further one to cross the great water. Heaven moves upward and water downward; the two can never meet, and the quarrel has no natural end.
The Image
Heaven and water go their opposite ways: the image of conflict. Thus in all his transactions the superior person carefully considers the beginning, settling terms plainly before there is anything to argue about.
Interpretation
A genuine dispute is underway and you may well be in the right, which is exactly what makes this hexagram dangerous. Being right tempts you to press to a final victory, and the oracle says plainly that pressing to the end brings misfortune. The structure of the situation is a standing contradiction, not a misunderstanding that argument can dissolve. Your best outcome is a partial one reached early: stop halfway, accept an imperfect settlement, bring in a respected third party whose judgment both sides will accept. Do not start anything large while this is unresolved, and do not take on new risk to fund the fight. Look honestly at the beginning of the matter, because unclear terms usually caused it. The real lesson is preventive: from now on write things down, define expectations at the outset, and choose partners whose interests can actually run alongside yours.
Love
An argument that keeps restarting because the underlying needs genuinely differ. Winning the exchange will cost you the relationship. Concede the small things, name the real issue calmly, and consider talking with a neutral, trusted person. Choose peace over being proved right, because the proof will cost more than the point.
Career
Contract disputes, credit battles, or a boss you cannot align with. Document everything, avoid escalation, and settle early rather than fighting to the last. Do not launch a major project into this atmosphere; stabilise first. Choose the settlement you can live with over the victory you would have to fund.
Advice
Stop halfway, seek a fair mediator, and never fight a dispute all the way to the end.
Line by line
If one does not perpetuate the affair, there is a little gossip. In the end, good fortune comes. Drop it now, while it is still small. A few remarks will follow and then nothing, which is a very cheap price.
One cannot engage in conflict; one returns home, giving way. The people of his town, three hundred households, remain free of guilt. You are outmatched. Withdrawing quietly protects not only you but everyone who depends on you.
To nourish oneself on ancient virtue induces perseverance. Danger. In the end, good fortune comes. If by chance you are in the service of a king, seek not works. Live off what you have earned before, claim nothing new.
One cannot engage in conflict. One turns back and submits to fate, changes one's attitude, and finds peace in perseverance. Good fortune. The fight is lost and letting go of it brings unexpected relief.
To contend before him brings supreme good fortune. The case comes before someone genuinely fair and is decided justly. Present your position plainly, without exaggeration, and trust the process rather than working it.
Even if by chance a leather belt is awarded, by the end of a morning it will have been snatched away three times. A victory won by fighting to the end cannot be held. What you take this way you will lose repeatedly.