Conflict Hexagram Line 63: Can You Survive Office Life Only on Past Glory?

There’s always this type of person at every company.

They’re a long-tenured employee with deep seniority and past achievements to their name. They’ve been around since the company’s early days, fought side by side with the boss to build the business, and have weathered every storm imaginable.

But times change, and so does the business. Their old ways no longer work. The new young hires are full of drive and fresh ideas, and they’ve somehow become the one "holding the team back."

As for the boss? They hold onto old loyalties and feel awkward about making a move against them. But their words, subtle as they are, already carry hints of warning.

People in this spot are stuck in the most awkward position. They can’t move up because their skills can’t keep up; they can’t step down because they’d lose face. Leaving doesn’t feel right, and staying doesn’t feel right either.

The third line of the *I Ching*’s Conflict Hexagram speaks directly to this predicament. It reads: **"食旧德，贞厉，终吉。或从王事，无成。"** (Feeding on past virtue; perseverance brings danger, yet ends in good fortune. At times one may serve the king’s affairs, but claims no success.)

食旧德 — Living off past glory

What does "食旧德" mean?

Put simply, it means surviving on past achievements, past savings, and past goodwill.

The position of Six in the Third Place is a delicate one: it is a Yin Line occupying a Yang position, so it is not in its proper place. Below it is Nine in the Second Place (a capable person), and above it is Nine in the Fourth Place (someone with even stronger backing). Caught in the middle, it lacks sufficient strength and holds an unstable position.

What can it rely on? Only "past virtue" — old merits, old favors, and connections built up over the years.

Isn’t this exactly like long-tenured employees in the workplace? Back when you were building the business with the boss, you really put in the work and broke a sweat. But now that the company has grown, your skills can’t keep up, and all you have left to lean on is that old goodwill from years ago.

Wen Laoshi often says: **Goodwill is a consumable — every time you use it, there’s less left.**

If you keep bringing up the old days, the first time you mention it, the boss will remember your contributions fondly. The second time, they’ll start to get a little impatient. The third time? They’ll start wondering to themselves — what else can this person do besides talk about what they did back in the day?

That’s why the Six in the Third Place is followed by two words: "贞厉" (perseverance brings danger). Sticking strictly to your old ways carries risk.

Why the danger? Because you can’t hold onto your position by living off past glory alone. People below you are eyeing your spot, and people above you are watching you closely. If all you have is "past virtue" and no "new achievements," you’ll be replaced sooner or later.

贞厉，但终吉 — Hold your ground, and you’ll come through fine

The phrase "贞厉，终吉" (perseverance brings danger, yet ends in good fortune) is quite fascinating.

It translates to: though upholding the right path carries danger, it ultimately leads to good fortune.

If there’s danger, why does it end in good fortune?

Because the Six in the Third Place is a Yin Line: it is gentle, it does not compete, and it stays within its bounds. It may be living off past glory, but it does not harm others, cause trouble, or stir up gossip. It stays quietly in its place, doing the little work it is capable of.

That’s enough.

Many long-tenured employees run into trouble not because their skills fall short, but because their mindset collapses.

They think their seniority entitles them to special privileges. They see new hires rising through the ranks as a threat to themselves. So they start forming cliques, suppressing newcomers, and going around telling stories of their past glories.

What happens in the end? The boss originally wanted to let you exit gracefully out of respect for old times, but by causing a scene, you burn through the last of that goodwill yourself.

The wisdom of the Six in the Third Place is this: **I know I’m not at the top of my game anymore, but I won’t make trouble. I’ll live off my past merits, and I’ll stay within my bounds. If you’re willing to keep me on, I’m grateful. If the day comes when you don’t want me anymore, I can leave with my dignity intact.**

Even if someone like this can’t keep up with the job, the boss won’t make things too hard for them. Because they know how to read the room, when to advance and when to retreat, and they don’t cause problems.

"Ends in good fortune" doesn’t mean you’ll stay in that position forever. It means you can exit cleanly, without a messy, humiliating fall.

或从王事，无成 — Follow along, don’t claim the credit

The second half of the line is even more critical: "或从王事，无成。" (At times one may serve the king’s affairs, but claims no success.)

It means: if you work alongside people above you, don’t take credit for the results. When things work out, the credit belongs to those above you, not to you.

This sounds harsh, but it’s the unvarnished truth.

In the position of Six in the Third Place, there are Nine in the Fourth Place and Nine in the Fifth Place above you — people with higher rank and more authority than you. You work under them, you do the work, but the credit can’t be yours.

If you don’t understand this rule, and go around telling everyone "I was the main driver of this project" after it succeeds, you won’t last long.

I know someone who worked as a middle manager at a company for ten years. His skills were average, but he had one great strength: he never took credit for others’ work. He did whatever his leader assigned, gave full credit to his leader’s guidance when things went well, and took full responsibility when things went wrong.

You’d think someone like that wouldn’t get very far, right? But he held that position steadily for ten years, outlasting several changes in leadership. Why? Because every leader thought — this person is reliable, low-maintenance, and doesn’t cause trouble.

He’s a classic example of "feeding on past virtue, claiming no success." He never had any major, standout achievements, but he also never made any big mistakes. In an organization, that kind of "stability" is a value in itself.

Of course, Wen Laoshi would add: if you’re still young, if you still have drive, don’t model yourself after the Six in the Third Place. This is a survival strategy for people who have "already reached this point" — it’s not a growth strategy for people working their way up.

Young people should learn from Nine at the Beginning and Nine in the Second Place — charging forward, building a foundation. The Six in the Third Place is for those who can’t push forward anymore, but still want to hold onto their position.

Three reminders from Six in the Third Place of the Conflict Hexagram

After all this, what exactly is this line trying to remind us of?

First, **It’s okay to live off past glory, but don’t burn through it entirely.** Past achievements are your cushion, not a lifelong meal ticket. While you’re leaning on what you’ve built before, think about what new contributions you can still make — even small ones show the right attitude.

Second, **When your position is unstable, don’t rock the boat.** The less strength you have, the lower you should keep your profile. Don’t go around chasing validation, don’t boast about past glories, and don’t pick fights with new hires. If you stay quiet, people might not even think to target you; the louder you make yourself, the bigger a target you become.

Third, **When you work for someone stronger than you, don’t steal the credit.** Credit isn’t something you can take by force. If it’s rightfully yours, people will remember that. If it’s not, grabbing it will only bring trouble down on you. Do your work well, pass the credit along, and your path will only grow wider.

As we reach the third line of the Conflict Hexagram, we see different layers of dispute. Six at the Beginning tells us not to let small issues blow up. Nine in the Second Place tells us to retreat if you can’t win. What about Six in the Third Place? It’s about **what to do when you can’t fight anymore — stay within your bounds, and not competing is its own form of winning.**

That’s how life works sometimes. You don’t have to win every battle, and you don’t have to hold onto every position. Sometimes, being able to walk away cleanly, to exit with dignity, is already a win.

Just like the "ends in good fortune" of the Six in the Third Place — it’s not that it won something, it’s that it didn’t lose too badly. And for many people stuck in that awkward position, "not losing too badly" is already the best possible outcome.