Hexagram 7 — Leading
King Wen #7 · plain-language meaning, the Image, and the classical text
Disciplined, organized action under firm and righteous leadership — a large undertaking, not a skirmish.
What Hexagram 7 Means 白话解读
Hexagram 7 places water (坎) beneath earth (坤) — water finding its way through hard gaps below, receptive ground holding all things above. This is why the tradition reads it as “Leading”: disciplined, organized action under firm and righteous leadership — a large undertaking, not a skirmish. Whenever you cast this figure, the classical reading points back to that turning of forces.
The Image 象傳
地中有水，師；君子以容民畜眾。
(The trigram representing) the earth and in the midst of it that representing water, form Sze. The superior man, in accordance with this, nourishes and educates the people, and collects (from among them) the multitudes (of the hosts).— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
Water held within the earth: disciplined ranks. The wise hold people together and build up their strength.— plain-English rendering by The Hexagrams2
Hexagram 7 in Real Questions 實問實答
With money and work
Leading describes disciplined, organized action under firm and righteous leadership — a large undertaking, not a skirmish — and that is the posture the tradition recommends for practical matters under this figure: water finding its way through hard gaps, held inside a larger setting of receptive ground holding all things. It names a shape of timing, not a sum.
For a decision
If you cast Leading about a choice, the figure's counsel is the same movement it pictures: disciplined, organized action under firm and righteous leadership — a large undertaking, not a skirmish. When lines move in your cast, read them against this base — the moving lines show which part of the figure is awake for you, and the changed hexagram shows where it is heading.
Questions About Hexagram 7
What does 師 (shī) mean?
Hexagram 7 of the I Ching is named 師 (shī), usually rendered "Leading" in English editions. Its figure is built from water (坎) below and earth (坤) above — water finding its way through hard gaps beneath receptive ground holding all things.
Is hexagram 7 a good omen?
The received text of hexagram 7 is warm: it contains 2 occurrences of 吉 (good fortune), 3 of 凶 (misfortune), and 4 of 無咎 (no blame). The classical verdict is broadly favourable — with the lines' own conditions attached.
What does hexagram 7 mean in love?
In a relationship reading, Leading points to disciplined, organized action under firm and righteous leadership — a large undertaking, not a skirmish. The figure pairs water (坎) beneath earth (坤) — water finding its way through hard gaps meeting receptive ground holding all things — which is the traditional picture of how this energy behaves between two people. For how to phrase a love question before casting, see our guide to asking the I Ching about love.
What does hexagram 7 mean for career and money?
Career and money questions read Leading through the figure itself: water (坎) below, earth (坤) above — water finding its way through hard gaps held inside receptive ground holding all things. The plain reading: Disciplined, organized action under firm and righteous leadership — a large undertaking, not a skirmish. The text carries 2 mentions of 吉 (good fortune) and 3 of 凶 (misfortune), so it is read as workable — provided the conduct the lines describe is kept.
What do the changing lines of hexagram 7 mean?
A cast of hexagram 7 can produce moving lines. Each of the six lines has its own statement (爻辭) in the classical text below, read from the bottom up, and a moving line is read as the part of the figure that is awake for your question. When a line moves it turns into its opposite, and the whole figure becomes a second hexagram: changing every line of 7 gives hexagram 13, 同人 (Concording People). Every line also has a page of its own on this site — Line 1 through Line 6 under this hexagram — with the classical Chinese and Legge's translation side by side.
How is hexagram 7 related to the other hexagrams?
Changing every line of hexagram 7 gives hexagram 13 — 同人 (Concording People). Turned upside down it becomes hexagram 8 — 比 (Grouping). Its nuclear hexagram — the inner pattern of lines 2 through 5 — is hexagram 24 — 復 (Returning).
Cast it yourself
Shake the tube, watch your own coins fall.
- The hexagram's classical meaning — judgment and all six lines
- Moving lines marked — but not read for you
- No account, no email, nothing to pay
Get the reading, not just the text
Same cast, read all the way through:
- Every line read for you — what each moving line means inside your question
- The changed hexagram — where your situation is heading, and how to read the turn
- A closing that answers you directly — act, wait, or say it out loud
New to casting? How it works · All 64 hexagrams
Related Hexagrams 錯綜互
The Classical Text 經文
貞，丈人吉，無咎。
Shi indicates how, in the case which it supposes, with firmness and correctness, and (a leader of) age and experience, there will be good fortune and no error.— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
The Six Lines 爻辞
師出以律，否臧凶。
The first SIX, divided, shows the host going forth according to the rules (for such a movement). If these be not good, there will be evil.
在師中吉，無咎；王三錫命。
The second NINE, undivided, shows (the leader) in the midst of the host. There will be good fortune and no error. The king has thrice conveyed to him the orders (of his favour).
師或輿尸，凶。
The third SIX, divided, shows how the host may, possibly, have many inefficient leaders. There will be evil.
師左次，無咎。
The fourth SIX, divided, shows the host in retreat. There is no error.
田有禽，利執言，無咎；長子帥師，弟子輿尸，貞凶。
The fifth SIX, divided, shows birds in the fields, which it will be advantageous to seize (and destroy). In that case there will be no error. If the oldest son leads the host, and younger men (idly occupy offices assigned to them), however firm and correct he may be, there will be evil.
大君有命，開國承家，小人勿用。
The topmost SIX, divided, shows the great ruler delivering his charges, (appointing some) to be rulers of states, and others to undertake the headship of clans; but small men should not be employed (in such positions).
Line by Line 逐爻细读
1 Legge, James. The Yi King, Sacred Books of the East vol. XVI (1899), public domain. Classical Chinese from the received Zhouyi text.2 The Image (象傳) is an ancient text in the public domain; its plain-English gloss here is original to The Hexagrams, not a quotation from any copyrighted edition. · For reflection and entertainment — not financial, medical, or life advice.