شش خطی 7
جمعیتی هدفمند، استاد، ارتش (شی Shī)

NOTES
1. This and all subsequent text set off in this manner is commentary by Wang Bi.
2. Kong Yingda’s subcommentary defines the basic approach to the meaning of this hexagram—here and for the majority of later commentators: Second Yang represents a strong general, and Fifth Yin represents a compliant sovereign who relies on his general’s loyalty to get things done. Except for Second Yang, all other lines are yin. They, except for Fifth Yin, represent the masses or army that the general and sovereign, whose intentions are “in resonance,” use rightly to good purpose. See Zhouyi zhengyi, 2: 8a–8b.
3. Kong Yingda glosses shun (compliancy/compliant) as roushun “yielding and compliant”—the way army operations must be carried out in order to obtain “good fortune.” See Zhouyi zhengyi, 2: 8b. “Yielding and compliant” is, of course, characteristic of the Dao of Kun (Pure Yin), Hexagram 1. See the Commentary on the Judgments for that hexagram.
4. Wang Bi’s gloss of du as yi is further explained by Kong Yingda as shiyi: “servant/subordinate” or “to employ as servant/subordinate.” See Zhouyi zhengyi, 2: 8b. Neither Wang nor Kong explain why du, whose literal meaning of “poison/to poison” is so different, can mean this. One possibility is that Wang has been influenced by Ma Rong (79–166), a Han era commentator, who suggests that du should be understood as zhi (control, manage); i.e., poison used in the right amount can control illness. See Lu Deming’s Zhouyi yinyi (Pronunciation and meaning of terms in the Changes of the Zhou), included in the Jingdian shiwen, 2: 68. In this sense, an army is like poison: it is dangerous to use, but, when used correctly, it can have good results. However, both Cheng Yi and Zhu Xi gloss du as hai (harm); i.e., no matter how they are carried out, army operations always inflict harm on the world. In the light of their interpretation, this passage would read: “When harm is brought to the world in this way, the common folk will still follow one.” See Zhouyi zhezhong, 9: 15b–16a.
5. “Otherwise, whether it fails or succeeds, it will result in misfortune” translates pi zang xiong. In this reading, the “otherwise” is only implied from the context—i.e., nothing in the Chinese text explicitly expresses it. Kong Yingda also understands the text this way and suggests that the unusual wording here is a more emphatic way of saying “even though it succeeds, it will result in misfortune.” See Zhouyi zhengyi, 2:8b–9a. However, there are two other possibilities. One is to read pi (obstruction, i.e., failure) as the graph for fou, a function word that actually means “otherwise.” The text would then mean: “Otherwise, even if it succeeds, it would still result in misfortune.” Here we have to supply an implicit “even,” and this is exactly the way that Cheng Yi understands it; see Zhouyi zhezhong, 1: 43b. Zhu Xi suggests a third way. He thinks that pi should be read fou but that here fou functions as a simple negative prefix, used instead of bu. He also glosses fou zang as bushan (not good). His interpretation would translate as: “If it [the regulation] is not good, there will be misfortune.” See Zhouyi zhezhong, 1: 43a.
6. “The perfect commendation” translates chengming. This is Wang’s explanation for “his sovereign confers a threefold commendation on him.” Kong Yingda cites a passage in the Liji (Book of rites) to support Wang’s remark: “The first commendation is the conferral of a jue [a bronze ceremonial vessel, an emblem of noble rank], the second commendation is the conferral of clothing, and the third commendation is the conferral of horses and carriage. With these three conferrals and three commendations, the honor involved is perfectly realized.” See Zhouyi zhengyi, 2:9b. However, most later commentators, Cheng Yi among them, do not interpret wang san xi ming as “his sovereign confers a threefold commendation on him” but as “his sovereign confers commendations on him three times [that is, repeatedly].” Lou Yulie, it should also be noted, explains chengming (perfect commendation) as cheng ming (successfully carry out orders): “Cheng ming means ‘to accomplish perfectly the task set for him by the sovereign.’ ” See Wang Bi ji jiaoshi, 1: 259 n. 11. In the light of this, de cheng ming (obtains the perfect commendation) would mean “is able to have him successfully carry out his orders,” i.e., it is by these awards/commendations that the wise sovereign encourages his general to use the Army with rectitude and compliance in order to win, as the Commentary on the Images states, “the support of the myriad states.”
7. “Use carriages to transport corpses” translates yu shi. Zhu Xi’s interpretation follows that of Wang Bi, but Cheng Yi explains yu shi differently, as “many leaders,” which involves possible, secondary meanings for the two characters respectively. Cheng’s reading of the passage would read something like: “If perhaps the Army has many leaders [i.e., no unified command], it would result in misfortune.” See Zhouyi zhezhong, 1:44b–45a.
8. Cf. Griffith, Sun Tzu: The Art of War, p. 117.
9. See Hexagram 6, Song (Contention), First Yin and note 6 there.
10. If we summarize Kong Yingda’s comments, the explanation for all this is as follows: The “sovereign” is Fifth Yin (weak but centrally located in the upper trigram), the “elder son” is Second Yang (strong and centrally located in the lower trigram), and the “younger son” is Third Yin. It is Fifth Yin and Second Yang that are in resonance, so Second Yang, strong, centrally located, and in rapport with Fifth Yin, is the right one to lead the Army and not the weak, off-centered (unbalanced, skewed, prone to take the wrong action) Third Yin. See Zhouyi zhengyi, 2: 10a–10b.
11. Kong Yingda comments: “The Son of Heaven ennobles and enfeoffs the one at Top Yin. If his merit is relatively great, he has him found a marquisate or dukedom as one of the feudal lords, and if his merit is relatively small, he has him establish a lesser feudatory as a minister or grand master to a feudal lord.” See Zhouyi zhengyi, 2: 10b.