Hexagram 24 · Line 6
Return — 上九
Fu · Shang Jiu
上九 · Shang Jiu
The Line
Missing the Return. Misfortune. Misfortune from within and from without. If one sets armies marching in this way, one will in the end suffer a great defeat, so that for the lord of the land it is ominous. For ten years one is unable to attack.
Interpretation
If one misses the right time for turning back, one falls into misfortune. The misfortune is grounded inwardly in a wrong attitude toward the world's connections. Outer misfortune is the consequence of this wrong attitude. What is depicted is obduracy and its judgment.