Hexagram 13, Line 3
Fellowship with Men (同人)
九三：伏戎于莽
The Line Text
九三：伏戎于莽，升其高陵，三歲不興。
Nine in the third place: He hides his soldiers in the thicket and climbs a high hill, but for three years he cannot act.
The Commentary says: He hides his soldiers in the thicket because the opponent is strong. "For three years he cannot act"—how can he make any move?
Interpretation
This line presents a stark warning within the context of fellowship. Instead of joining the community openly and with trust, the individual represented by this line is filled with suspicion and hostility. They see potential enemies everywhere. The imagery is potent: "hiding soldiers in the thicket" signifies harboring secret resentments, plotting in the shadows, and preparing for a conflict that may only exist in one's mind. "Climbing a high hill" symbolizes isolating oneself to spy on others from a distance, seeking a strategic advantage rather than genuine connection. This behavior stems from a deep-seated mistrust, likely because of perceived threats or strong competitors. The tragic outcome is self-imposed paralysis. For "three years"—a metaphor for a long and frustrating period—no progress can be made. The energy that should be dedicated to building alliances and achieving common goals is squandered on paranoia and defensive maneuvering. This line teaches that suspicion is the poison that dissolves fellowship, leading to isolation and stagnation.
Guidance for Action
You are currently trapped by your own mistrust. You perceive threats and rivals, causing you to act secretively and defensively. This approach is backfiring, leading to a complete standstill in your life. The guidance is to lay down your hidden "weapons" and come down from your "high hill" of isolation. The path forward is not through strategic maneuvering or outwitting others, but through dismantling your own defensive walls. You must question whether the threats you perceive are real or imagined. Even if competitors are strong, your current strategy of paranoid inaction is guaranteed to fail. You must risk vulnerability and attempt to engage with others in good faith. Stop plotting and start communicating. The only way to break this three-year stalemate is to abandon the mindset of conflict and embrace the possibility of genuine fellowship.
For Love & Relationships
In a relationship, this line points to a destructive cycle of suspicion and jealousy. One partner may be "hiding soldiers" by holding onto past grievances or harboring secret doubts. They might be "climbing a high hill" by checking their partner's phone, monitoring their social media, or constantly questioning their whereabouts. This behavior, born from insecurity and fear of betrayal, creates an atmosphere of distrust that suffocates intimacy and love. The relationship becomes stagnant and emotionally frozen ("three years he cannot act"). To move forward, you must address these trust issues head-on. Stop the secret investigations and have an open, honest conversation about your fears. Rebuilding trust is the only way to save the connection from this self-imposed paralysis.
For Career & Business
This line depicts a classic case of counterproductive office politics. You may feel threatened by a colleague's competence or position ("the opponent is strong"), leading you to work in secret, hoard information, or subtly undermine them. You are isolating yourself, observing from a distance, and plotting your next move instead of collaborating. This strategy is causing your career to stall. You are seen as uncooperative and untrustworthy, and your projects are going nowhere. The way out is to abandon this competitive, zero-sum game. Focus on your own work, share credit where it's due, and try to build alliances based on mutual goals. Your current path of suspicion is a dead end; collaboration is the only way to advance.
For Financial Matters
In financial matters, this line indicates a state of analysis paralysis driven by extreme fear and suspicion. You see every investment as a potential scam and every potential partner as a cheat. You are "hiding your soldiers" by keeping your capital locked away, too afraid to make a move. You "climb a high hill" by endlessly researching and observing the market but never participating. While caution is wise, your paranoia has led to complete inaction. As a result, your wealth is stagnant, and you are missing every opportunity for growth ("for three years he cannot act"). You need to find a way to move forward. Seek advice from a highly reputable, trusted advisor to help you distinguish real risks from imagined ones. You must accept a degree of calculated risk to make any progress. Your fear of loss is currently guaranteeing that you will never gain.
