Is line 5 of Troops in its correct place?

It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning. It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.

Hexagram 7, line 5

六五Line 5 of Troops

Six in the fifth place · 師 shī

game in the fieldthe eldest son commandsthe wrong appointment

爻辭 The line text

田有禽，利執言，无咎。長子帥師，弟子輿尸，貞凶。

The fifth line, 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.

Its symbolism

長子帥師，以中行也。弟子輿尸，使不當也。

'The oldest son leads the host:'—its movements are directed by him in accordance with his position in the centre. 'Younger men idly occupy their positions:'—the employment of such men is improper.

In plain words

'There is game in the field: it is favourable to seize it, no blame. The eldest son leads the army; the younger carts corpses — steadfastness in that brings misfortune.' Line five is yin in the ruler's place, central, the king who does not fight but commissions. The game in the field is an enemy who has invaded one's own ground, so the campaign is just — 利執言, there is a case to be stated. The second half is about delegation: the 'eldest son' is line two, the hexagram's commander, and the small Image says he leads 'by central conduct' (以中行也); the 'younger sons' are the other lines, and giving them the command is 'an unfitting use' (使不當也). The king's one task is to appoint the right general and not divide the charge.

If this line is changing

Your cause is justified, so act — but your real decision is who leads; give the whole charge to the one person fit for it, and do not hedge by appointing others alongside.

Where the line stands

A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin line that moves when cast.
It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
It belongs to the upper trigram 坤 Kun (the Receptive) (earth).
It corresponds (應) with line 2: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.

之卦 When this line moves

師 Troops becomes ䷜ 29 坎 The Pit (Water)

Water upon water: repeated danger. With sincerity the heart gets through — flow like water, filling each hollow and moving on without losing your nature.

What it becomes29 · 坎 The Pit (Water)kǎn

The six lines of 師 Troops

Read 師 Troops for a question about

Love and relationships Work and career A yes-or-no decision

Questions about this line

What does Six in the fifth place of hexagram 7, Troops, mean?: 'There is game in the field: it is favourable to seize it, no blame. The eldest son leads the army; the younger carts corpses — steadfastness in that brings misfortune.' Line five is yin in the ruler's place, central, the king who does not fight but commissions. The game in the field is an enemy who has invaded one's own ground, so the campaign is just — 利執言, there is a case to be stated. The second half is about delegation: the 'eldest son' is line two, the hexagram's commander, and the small Image says he leads 'by central conduct' (以中行也); the 'younger sons' are the other lines, and giving them the command is 'an unfitting use' (使不當也). The king's one task is to appoint the right general and not divide the charge.
What does hexagram 7 become when line 5 changes?: Troops becomes hexagram 29, 坎 The Pit (Water): Water upon water: repeated danger. With sincerity the heart gets through — flow like water, filling each hollow and moving on without losing your nature.
Is line 5 of Troops in its correct place?: It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning. It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.

Cast a reading Hexagram 7 in full Changing lines explained

Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).