噬嗑Biting Together
shì kèAlso known as “Biting Through” (Wilhelm/Baynes) and “Shih Ho” (Legge)
In plain words
Thunder and lightning: jaws closing on an obstacle. Something is in the way and must be bitten through — favourable for administering justice.
The attitude it asks for
Deal with the obstruction firmly and fairly, with clear penalties and clear rules rather than lingering resentment.
Structure
卦辭 The Judgment
噬嗑：亨。利用獄。Shih Ho indicates successful progress (in the condition of things which it supposes). It will be advantageous to use legal constraints.
頤中有物，曰噬嗑，噬嗑而亨。剛柔分，動而明，雷電合而章。柔得中而上行，雖不當位，利用獄也。The existence of something between the jaws gives rise to the name Shih Ho (Union by means of biting through the intervening article). The Union by means of biting through the intervening article indicates 'the successful progress (denoted by the hexagram).' The strong and weak (lines) are equally divided (in the figure). Movement is denoted (by the lower trigram), and bright intelligence (by the upper); thunder and lightning uniting in them, and having brilliant manifestation. The weak (fifth) line is in the centre, and acts in its high position. Although it is not in its proper position, this is advantageous for the use of legal constraints.
雷電噬嗑；先王以明罰敕法。(The trigrams representing) thunder and lightning form Shih Ho. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, framed their penalties with intelligence, and promulgated their laws.
爻辭 The six lines
When one line moves, the hexagram becomes another:
- 上九Nine at the top
何校滅耳，凶。
The sixth line, undivided, shows one wearing the cangue, and deprived of his ears. There will be evil.
Its symbolism 何校滅耳，聰不明也。
'He wears the cangue and is deprived of his ears:'—he hears, but will not understand.
- 六五Six in the fifth place
噬乾肉，得黃金，貞厲，无咎。
The fifth line, divided, shows one gnawing at dried flesh, and finding the yellow gold. Let him be firm and correct, realising the peril (of his position). There will be no error.
Its symbolism 貞厲无咎，得當也。
'Let him be firm and correct, realising the peril (of his position), and there will be no error:'—he will possess every quality appropriate (to his position and task).
- 九四Nine in the fourth place
噬乾胏，得金矢，利艱貞，吉。
The fourth line, undivided, shows one gnawing the flesh dried on the bone, and getting the pledges of money and arrows. It will be advantageous to him to realise the difficulty of his task and be firm,—in which case there will be good fortune.
Its symbolism 利艱貞吉，未光也。
'It will be advantageous to him to realise the difficulty of his task and be firm, in which case there will be good fortune:'—his light has not yet been sufficiently displayed.
- 六三Six in the third place
噬臘肉，遇毒；小吝，无咎。
The third line, divided, shows one gnawing dried flesh, and meeting with what is disagreeable. There will be occasion for some small regret, but no (great) error.
Its symbolism 遇毒，位不當也。
'He meets with what is disagreeable and hurtful:'—his position is not the proper one for him.
- 六二Six in the second place
噬膚滅鼻，无咎。
The second line, divided, shows one biting through the soft flesh, and (going on to) bite off the nose. There will be no error.
Its symbolism 噬膚滅鼻，乘剛也。
'He bites through the soft flesh, and (goes on) to bite off the nose:'—(the subject of the line) is mounted on the strong (first line).
- 初九Nine at the beginning
屨校滅趾，无咎。
The first line, undivided, shows one with his feet in the stocks and deprived of his toes. There will be no error.
Its symbolism 屨校滅趾，不行也。
'His feet are in the stocks, and he is deprived of his toes:'—there is no walking (to do evil).
Shown in the classical Chinese with James Legge's English (1882).
Read 噬嗑 Biting Together for a question about
古籍
From the classics
Two of the Ten Wings speak of every hexagram: the Sequence (Xù Guà) says why it follows the one before, the Miscellany (Zá Guà) sums it up in a phrase. Here is what they say of 噬嗑 shì kè · Biting Together.
可觀而后有所合，故受之以噬嗑；嗑者合也。What can be looked upon then finds something to unite with; therefore Shì Kè follows. Kè means uniting.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
噬嗑食也，賁无色也。Shì Kè is eating; Bì is without colour.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
The classical Chinese is the authoritative text. Translations are iching.tools' own from the Chinese unless another translator is named; several attributions are traditional rather than historical (託名).
Questions about this hexagram
- What does Hexagram 21, Biting Together, mean?
- Thunder and lightning: jaws closing on an obstacle. Something is in the way and must be bitten through — favourable for administering justice.
- Which trigrams form Biting Together?
- 離 above 震 — fire over thunder. Its nuclear hexagram (lines 2–5) is 蹇 Impasse.
- What happens when a line of Biting Together changes?
- A moving line turns the hexagram into another one; the list above shows all six. With several moving lines, the guide to changing lines explains which text to read.
- How do I get Biting Together in a reading?
- Build six lines from the bottom up with three coins or yarrow stalks; the pattern — - - - - — - - — is Biting Together. You can also cast a reading here — the lines are decided by code, the text is this page's.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).