In his book I Ching – The Book of Change, English author and scholar John Blofeld describes how he consulted the I Ching and predicted the outcome of the war between China and India in 1962. His reading indicated that the invasion would end very quickly and without much territorial gain.

When he did the reading, China had already invaded Indian land due to an old border dispute. He obtained hexagram 48, “The Well,” utilizing, taking advantage of, and 63, “After Completion,” completing. Combining both hexagrams produces this theme: “China took advantage of the situation and will complete the operation.”

Line 1 says: “One does not drink the mud of the well. No animals come to an old well.” Within the context of the theme, this could mean that not much land would be taken.

Line 2 says: “At the well hole one shoots fishes. The jug is broken and leaks.” If the jug is interpreted as support or maintenance, this could mean that it would have been hard for China to maintain any additional captured territory, or that there would have been no international support for any further gains.

Thus, by using the hexagrams obtained by  John Blofeld, this reinterpretation reaches the same conclusion.