6
Hexagram 6, Song: “Conflict,” “Litigation.” It is about a dispute in which both sides believe they are right.
The image of the hexagram
Below is the Kan trigram (water), above is Qian (heaven). Heaven over water: two forces move in opposite directions and inevitably collide.
General meaning
The answer is a warning. Song does not forbid arguing, but it says: you will not be able to see this dispute through to the end, and total victory is out of reach. The classic advice is to look for a mediator and stop halfway. The hexagram advises against going to court, into open confrontation, or into a “let justice be done” stance: the costs will outweigh the gains.
In love and at work
In relationships: a drawn-out argument over who is right, where winning matters more than understanding. At work: a conflict of interest, money, the boundaries of responsibility; it pays more to reach an imperfect agreement now than a bad one later. As a yes-or-no answer, it leans toward no.
What to do
Work out where you are willing to stop, and offer it first. In this situation, being right costs more than it is worth.