Hexagram 21: Biting Through
噬嗑Shì Hé
Firm, fair, and to the point.
The passages below are historical language. Their references to fortune, danger, and the exemplary person belong to the text’s world. Our modern explanation is an invitation to reflect on your situation.
The Judgment
Classical Chinese
噬嗑。 亨。利用獄。
Our English rendering
Biting Through. Success. Handling legal proceedings is favorable.
The Image
Classical Chinese
象曰：雷電噬嗑。先王以明罰敕法。
Our English rendering
Thunder and lightning: Biting Through. The former kings therefore made punishments clear and set the laws in order.
Translation note: Yu concerns legal proceedings and judgment here. The Image explicitly includes punishment and law in the former kings' historical system.
A modern reading
Biting Through names an action that closes firmly on something in the way. Thunder and lightning add force and visibility to the Image. The source directs those qualities toward punishments and laws, making the removal of obstruction a matter of public authority. A contemporary reflection can examine what is preventing an agreement or process from working. Naming the obstruction clearly helps you distinguish the actual problem from frustration with the situation as a whole.
The legal setting makes clarity part of the use of force. People need to know which rule applies and what consequence follows before a decision can be assessed. In a present dispute or shared process, consider whether expectations are stated and applied consistently. The ancient text's approval of legal proceedings belongs to its historical order. Its practical question for reflection concerns the grounds for a firm decision and the people answerable for making it.
A question to sit with
Which rule or expectation needs to be clarified before you make a firm decision about this obstruction?
Source and method
The Judgment and Image are classical passages from the Book of Changes. The English rendering and modern explanation are Meow Ching’s editorial work. This page covers these two passages; it does not translate the six individual line texts.
Read the classical text on Wikisource · Our sources and method