Hexagram 6 of 64 · King Wen sequence

Conflict

讼 · sòng

Above: Heaven
Below: Water

Heaven above water: two strong forces flowing against each other — a dispute that cannot be won by force.

Heaven rises, water runs down: inside and outside pull in opposite directions, and neither will convert the other. Conflict appears when a disagreement has moved past facts into positions.

The counsel is specific: do not escalate to the bitter end even if you are right. Stop at the first honest referee — a neutral third party, a written term, a walk-away deadline. Half-victories taken early cost less than total victories pursued to mutual damage.

Questions this hexagram asks

What do I actually want from this dispute — vindication, or a solution?
Who would both sides accept as a fair third voice?
What would a stop-at-the-halfway settlement cost me, versus another month of this?

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