Hexagram 30 · Line 6
The Clinging — 上九
Li · Shang Jiu
上九 · Shang Jiu
The Line
The king uses him to set forth and to chastise. It is best then to kill the leaders and take the followers prisoner. No blame.
Interpretation
The purpose of chastisement is to create discipline, not to let punishment be exercised blindly. It is a matter of healing the evil at the root. In state life it is a matter of removing the ringleaders but sparing the followers. In self-formation it is a matter of rooting out bad habits but tolerating harmless ones. For too strict asceticism, like too strict penal judgments, leads to no success.