I Ching Hexagram 21 - Biting Through
Description and interpretations of I Ching (Yijing) hexagram 21 "Biting Through"
噬嗑 - Shì Kè
Hỏa Lôi Phệ Hạp
Biting Through
Upper (Outer) Trigram: ☲ Li, Fire
Lower (Inner) Trigram: ☳ Zhen, Thunder
Other Titles: Discernment, Gnawing, The Symbol of Mastication and Punishment by Pressing and Squeezing, Gnawing Bite, Severing, Chewing, Punishment, Reformation, Reform, Differentiation, Discrimination, Making a Distinction, Getting the message "Something which should be, or has to be bitten through”.
English Translations & Interpretations
The Judgement
Wilhelm/Baynes: Biting Through has success. It is favorable to let justice be administered.
Legge: Success is found in Discernment. The restrictions of the law bring advantage.
Blofeld: Gnawing. Success! The time is favorable for legal processes. [The concept of gnawing is suggested by the component trigrams, which are regarded (owing to the arrangement of their lines) as not commingling; they are as separate from each other as the upper and lower jaw when something tough is being gnawed.]
Liu: Chewing: Success. It benefits to administer justice. [Chewing indicates success through hard work. Those who get this hexagram will have trouble in the beginning.]
Shaughnessy: Biting and chewing: Receipt; beneficial to use a court case.
Cleary (1): Biting through is developmental. It is beneficial to administer justice.
Cleary (2): Biting through is successful. It is beneficial to apply justice.
Wu: Discernment is pervasive. It will be advantageous to exact punishments.
The Image
Wilhelm/Baynes: Thunder and lightning: The image of Biting Through. Thus the kings of former times made firm the laws through clearly defined penalties.
Legge: The images of thunder and lightning form Discernment. Thus the ancient kings promulgated their laws and framed their penalties with intelligence.
Blofeld: This hexagram symbolizes lightning accompanied by thunder. The ancient rulers, after making their legal code perfectly clear to all, enforced the laws vigorously.
Liu: Thunder and lightning symbolize Chewing. The ancient kings made the laws and clarified the penalties.
Cleary: Thunder and lightning, biting through. Thus did the kings of yore clarify penalties and proclaim laws. [Those who administer laws should emulate the ancient kings in first clarifying them before executing them, in order to avoid mistakenly injuring life.]
Wu: Thunder and lightning form Discernment. Thus the ancient kings made just punishments and upheld the law of the land.
Line 1
初九: 屨校滅趾, 无咎．
Wilhelm/Baynes: His feet are fastened in the stocks so that his toes disappear. No blame.
Legge: The first line, dynamic, shows one with his feet in the stocks and deprived of his toes. There will be no error.
Blofeld: The feet are shackled so that they may not walk -- no error is involved! [This line suggests that extreme firmness would not be culpable at this time.]
Liu: His feet are put in the stocks. It will injure his toes. No blame.
Shaughnessy: Wearing stocks on the feet and with cut off feet; there is no trouble.
Cleary: Wearing stocks stopping the feet, there is no blame.
Wu: He wears a pair of shackles, which covers his toes. There is no error.
Line 2
六二: 噬膚, 滅鼻, 无咎．
Wilhelm/Baynes: Bites through tender meat, so that his nose disappears. No blame.
Legge: The second line, magnetic, shows one biting through soft flesh, and going on to bite off the nose. There will be no error.
Blofeld: Gnawing flesh so that the nose is hidden in it --no error! [The meaning of this line is not at all obvious. The Chinese additional commentaries take it to mean that we may do a little harm to our own interests but that we shall not deserve blame for what happens.]
Liu: Biting the skin, his nose is cut. No blame.
Shaughnessy: Biting flesh and cutting off the nose; there is no trouble.
Cleary (1): Biting skin, cutting off the nose, etc.
Cleary (2): Biting through the skin, destroying the nose, etc. [This is investigating principle and gradually penetrating.]
Wu: He bites through a skin burying his nose in it, etc. [This makes it easy for him to judge the case like biting through a soft skin …The judgment seems to have cautioned mildly not to over-judge an easy case.]
Line 3
六三: 噬腊肉, 遇毒, 小吝, 无咎．
Wilhelm/Baynes: Bites on old dried meat and strikes something poisonous. Slight humiliation. No blame.
Legge: The third line, magnetic, shows one gnawing dried flesh, and meeting with what is disagreeable. There will be occasion for some small regret, but no great error.
Blofeld: Gnawing dried meat, he was poisoned, but not severely enough to indispose him for long -- no error! [This line presages trouble through no fault of ours which will not, however, incapacitate us for long.]
Liu: By chewing dried salt meat one gets poisoned. Small humiliation, but no blame.
Shaughnessy: Biting dried meat and meeting with poison; small distress; there is no trouble.
Cleary: Biting on dried meat, running into poison. There is a little shame, but no blame.
Wu: He bites dried salted meat and gets an unpleasant aftertaste. There will be slight regret, but no error. [A yin in a yang position makes his judgment hard like biting on dried cured meat. The “unpleasant aftertaste” may suggest he is biting more than he can chew, he faces rowdy offenders, or he has a little rough time. But he makes no error.]
Line 4
九四: 噬 乾胏, 得金矢, 利艱貞, 吉．
Wilhelm/Baynes: Bites on dried gristly meat. Receives metal arrows. It furthers one to be mindful of difficulties and to be persevering. Good fortune.
Legge: The fourth line, dynamic, shows one gnawing the flesh dried on the bone, and getting the pledges of money and arrows. It will be advantageous for him to realize the difficulty of his task and be firm -- in which case there will be good fortune.
Blofeld: Gnawing dried meat on the bone, he found a metal arrow-head embedded in it -- remaining determined in spite of difficulties will bring good fortune!
Liu: By chewing on dried gristle one gains golden arrows. Firmness and hard work benefit. Good fortune.
Shaughnessy: Biting dry preserved meat, and getting a metal arrowhead; determination about difficulty is auspicious.
Cleary: Biting bony dried meat, one gets the wherewithal to proceed. It is beneficial to work hard and be upright: this leads to good results.
Wu: He bites dried bony meat and gets a golden arrow. There will be good fortune if he realizes the advantage of being firm in a difficult time. [With inference (Sic) to what he is biting, he also has a hard time reaching his verdict… The Confucian Commentary is somewhat critical of his ability.]
Line 5
六五: 噬乾肉, 得黃金, 貞厲, 无咎．
Wilhelm/Baynes: Bites on dried lean meat. Receives yellow gold. Perseveringly aware of danger. No blame.
Legge: The fifth line, magnetic, shows one gnawing at dried flesh, and finding the yellow gold. Let her be firm and correct, realizing the peril of her position. There will be no error.
Blofeld: While gnawing dried meat, he encountered a piece of gold embedded in it -- unwavering determination now will bring down trouble, but no error is involved. [If we persist with our plans, trouble will arise; the only comfort we can take is that we shall not be to blame for it.]
Liu: By chewing the dried meat one gains gold. To continue is dangerous. No blame.
Shaughnessy: Biting dry meat and meeting with poison; determination is dangerous; there is no trouble.
Cleary: Biting dry meat, finding gold, if one is upright and diligent there will be no blame.
Wu: He bites dried meat and gets yellow gold. He will have no error if he remains perseverant in such a critical situation. [What he bites suggests he still has a hard time simply because he is not strong-minded. A softhearted person vested with the authority of a judge should be perseverant in impartiality.]
Line 6
上九: 何校滅耳, 凶．
Wilhelm/Baynes: His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue, so that his ears disappear. Misfortune.
Legge: The sixth line, dynamic, shows one wearing the cangue, and deprived of his ears. There will be evil.
Blofeld: He wears a wooden cangue which hides his ears -- misfortune!
Liu: His neck is put in the wooden collar. His ear is injured. Misfortune.
Shaughnessy: Carrying a cangue on the shoulders and with a cut-off ear; inauspicious.
Cleary: Wearing a cangue destroying the ears is unfortunate.
Wu: He wears a cangue that covers his ears. There will be foreboding.
Notes
For an in-depth glossary of I Ching, click here.
Hexagram 21 often refers to a legal problem and a conflicting issue. It is possible that you will be entangled in a legal lawsuit or experience something that is creating obstacles for you.
Be firm and remain considerate. You can reach your objective if you are able to remove or overcome obstruction.
Compromise with the conflicting parties for solutions to resolve the issues. Stay positive and determined and deal with the difficulties one by one until you have removed the problem for good.
