Song :: Disputing

Sacrifice and fear: favorable to seek advice :: Unfavorable auspices for crossing a great river

訟

䷅

6 :: first

Do not perpetuate dispute. You will be criticized, but ultimately successful.

Get out of a small dispute before it enlarges, even if it means being slandered in some way. Get out while the getting is good. Cut your losses.

9 :: second

Failed in dispute. Return home to safety. No misfortune.

When, for whatever reason, you are losing an argument or bet, acknowledge it, quit struggling, and pay up. Relent and return to the resources of home-the safety and security of ordinary familiar circumstances. Do not overexert yourself.

6 :: third

Do not be buried in grudges.¹ Danger. If acknowledged, be humble.

Honoring the ancestors (past) does not mean carrying on their petty feuds and prejudices. Let go of old disputes. If a superior promotes you, do not rest on your laurels.

9 :: fourth

A dispute is lost. Recant and embrace fate. Letting go brings peace.

There has been a series of miscalculations-you must accept a loss. Make the best of the new situation and take what is offered to you. Stop grieving, do not hold a grudge, and start fresh.

9 :: fifth

A dispute is won. It is most auspicious.

Your case is heard in arbitration and you receive a favorable and binding judg-ment. Your grievance can and should now be abandoned.

6 :: top

There is a successful dispute.
Rewarded with a belt of rank, then stripped of rank three times in one audience.

When you have been successful in one dispute, don't celebrate your victory by becoming an contentious person. Contentious people gamble with favor and blame and are forced to live uneven lives.

Image

In ancient China it was observed that the heavenly bodies crossed the sky from east (dawn) to west and that the rivers of China flowed west to east. The image of Song refers to these two opposite flows. It is about divisive arguments, griev-ances, and litigation. The disputes that arise out of selfishness are difficult to resolve, all others arise and resolve naturally.

Auspices

When a situation lacks clarity it is best to retreat and wait for fortunes to change. Using litigation is a costly and risky way to succeed. If disputes are successfully resolved, caution is still required in handling the outcomes. Do not exert yourself in complicated or obstructed situations. Do not force things. It is favorable to self-reflect and to seek counsel.

Good for cautious litigation and divorce, open-mindedness, and letting go.

Bad for marriage and contracts of all kinds.

Comment

Song is about the negativity associated with being in conflict. When you find yourself in a disputed situation it is an indication that you have been negligent in planning and not paying attention to the way circumstances were forming. If you feel "cornered" it is reasonable to assume that you put yourself there.

No amount of arguing with or blaming others can rectify the situation. This is one kind of conflict. Song is also about disputes that arise naturally as part of a successful sequence of events. These natural disputes are over quickly and take us into new and unexpected circumstances. Caution and decorum should normalize these new circumstances.

If you enjoy success through either kind of conflict, the Zhouyi warns you that "success" of this kind (won by argument) is delicate and unreliable. Defeating an enemy is not a good way to create an ally.

Other Correspondences

Business: Paying debts, reprioritizing and clarifying plans, contracts, and agreements.

Disharmonies: Wind disorders, qi and blood deficiency, and insomnia.

Prognosis: Fair. If the patient follows the physician's advice and diminishes emotional stress, he/she will improve.