Hexagram 6.3 — Conflict (Third Line)

Original Text & Translation

「食旧德，贞厉，终吉。或从王事，无成。」 — Nourish on ancient virtue. Persistence brings danger, yet the end is fortunate. If you follow the king's affairs, claim no completion.

The image is of someone who ceases to compete for new territory and instead lives off reserves already accumulated. "Ancient virtue" refers to reputation, skills, relationships, and resources built in earlier times. The warning is clear: continuing to push in contested domains invites peril. Yet by drawing on what is already yours, you arrive at a stable and positive outcome.

The second phrase addresses service and ambition. If you engage in larger collective endeavors ("the king's affairs"), do so without claiming personal credit or demanding recognition. Contribute, but do not attach your identity to outcomes you cannot control.

Core Meaning

The third line occupies the top of the lower trigram, a position of transition and vulnerability. In Conflict, this placement suggests you are at the edge of your secure ground, tempted to cross into disputed territory. The natural impulse is to prove yourself, to advance, to win the argument or the prize. Yet the oracle redirects that energy entirely.

"Food" is a metaphor for sustenance and survival. "Old virtue" is the storehouse you have already filled through past effort, integrity, and competence. The counsel is to stop reaching outward and start drawing inward. This is not passivity; it is strategic conservation. By living within your proven means, you avoid the drain of protracted conflict and preserve your position for a time when conditions favor movement.

The line also addresses ego and attachment. "Claim no completion" means to participate without needing to own the result. In collaborative or hierarchical settings, this protects you from the resentment and backlash that come from overreach. You contribute your skill, but you do not demand the spotlight or the final say.

Symbolism & Imagery

The imagery of nourishment evokes a farmer living through winter on grain stored during harvest. The grain is real; it was earned through labor. But the season is not one for planting new fields. The farmer who tries to sow in frozen ground wastes seed and effort. The wise farmer eats what was stored and waits for spring.

In the context of Conflict, "ancient virtue" is your reputation, your network, your documented achievements, your savings — anything that exists independent of the current dispute. These assets do not require you to win today's argument. They are already yours. The third line asks: why risk what is secure for what is contested?

The "king's affairs" symbolize projects larger than yourself: organizational initiatives, community efforts, collective goals. The line warns against treating these as personal proving grounds. Serve the mission, but do not tie your worth to whether the mission succeeds or fails. This detachment is both humility and protection.

Action Guidance

Career & Business

• Audit your existing assets: skills, credentials, relationships, intellectual property, cash reserves. Make a literal list. These are your "old virtue."
• Pause new initiatives in contested areas: if a project, promotion, or partnership is actively disputed or politically charged, step back. Do not escalate.
• Monetize or leverage what you already have: can you serve existing clients more deeply? Can you refine and re-release past work? Can you call on established allies?
• Contribute without claiming ownership: if you are part of a team or organizational effort, focus on execution and support. Let others take credit. Your security comes from competence, not visibility.
• Document and protect your past work: update your portfolio, archive key projects, formalize intellectual property. Make your "ancient virtue" tangible and defensible.

Love & Relationships

• Draw on shared history: if tension is rising, recall the foundation you have already built. Remind each other of past successes, shared values, and proven trust.
• Do not force new agreements: if you are negotiating boundaries, roles, or future plans, pause. Live within the terms you have already established until the conflict energy dissipates.
• Serve without scorekeeping: contribute to the relationship's well-being without demanding immediate reciprocity or recognition. Trust that balance will emerge over time.
• Avoid public disputes: do not air grievances to friends, family, or social media. Keep the conflict private and contained.
• Appreciate what is stable: focus on the parts of the relationship that are not in dispute. Nourish those areas with attention and care.

Health & Inner Work

• Return to proven practices: if you have been experimenting with new protocols or routines, go back to what has reliably worked for you in the past.
• Conserve energy: this is not the time for ambitious physical challenges or intense new disciplines. Maintain, do not expand.
• Rest on past gains: if you have built a base of fitness, flexibility, or mental clarity, trust it. You do not need to prove it again right now.
• Avoid comparison and competition: do not measure yourself against others' progress or standards. Your health is your own; nourish it from within.
• Practice gratitude for your body's history: acknowledge what your body has already done for you. This is "ancient virtue" in physical form.

Finance & Strategy

• Live within established means: draw on savings, dividends, or income from existing assets. Do not chase new speculative opportunities.
• Avoid contested investments: if a deal, stock, or venture is surrounded by uncertainty, legal dispute, or competitive bidding, step away.
• Harvest existing positions: take profits where you have them. Lock in gains rather than gambling on further upside.
• Reduce exposure to volatility: shift toward stable, proven instruments. This is a time for capital preservation, not growth.
• Review and appreciate your financial history: look at what you have built over time. Let that foundation be your confidence, not the outcome of today's market.

Timing, Signals, and Readiness

The third line of Conflict marks a moment when forward momentum meets resistance. The signal to "nourish on ancient virtue" is clear when you notice: (1) increased friction or opposition in areas where you are trying to advance; (2) a sense of depletion or overextension; (3) the realization that you already have enough to sustain yourself; and (4) the temptation to prove something that does not need proving.

You will know it is time to move forward again when the contested terrain clears, when external conditions shift in your favor, or when you have rebuilt your reserves to the point that you can advance without risking your foundation. Until then, the wisdom is to live well on what you have already earned.

This is not a permanent state. It is a strategic pause. The "end is fortunate" because by refusing to waste your strength in unwinnable fights, you preserve your position and emerge intact when the season changes.

When This Line Moves

A moving third line in Hexagram 6 often signals a shift from active conflict to strategic withdrawal or consolidation. The transformation points toward a new hexagram that will describe the conditions that emerge when you stop contending and start conserving. Consult the hexagram produced by your divination method to understand the specific nature of this transition.

Practical takeaway: the movement is from striving to sustaining. You are not giving up; you are changing the basis of your security from future gains to present assets. This shift often brings immediate relief and, over time, positions you more favorably than continued fighting would have.

If the line moves, it confirms that your current conflict is not yours to win through force. Your path to "终吉" (ultimate good fortune) lies in stepping back, drawing on your reserves, and allowing the situation to resolve without your direct intervention.

Concise Summary

Hexagram 6.3 teaches the art of strategic sufficiency. In the midst of conflict, the oracle redirects you from the battlefield to the storehouse. "Nourish on ancient virtue" means to live from what you have already built — your skills, reputation, resources, and relationships. Persistence in contested areas brings danger, but drawing on proven reserves brings ultimate good fortune. Serve larger purposes without claiming credit. Consolidate rather than expand. Trust that what you have already earned is enough to carry you through this season. The dragon does not need to fight when it can feast on the treasure it has already gathered.