Hexagram 22: Adornment
賁Bì
Beauty that knows its place.
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
賁。 亨。小利有攸往。
Our English rendering
Adornment. Success. Going somewhere is favorable in a small way.
The Image
Classical Chinese
象曰：山下有火，賁。君子以明庶政，無敢折獄。
Our English rendering
Fire lies beneath the mountain: Adornment. A person of integrity therefore brings clarity to everyday government and does not dare decide legal cases.
Translation note: The source directly says one does not dare decide legal cases. Its distinction between everyday government and judicial decisions is retained; the reflection offers a contemporary application of that distinction.
A modern reading
Fire beneath a mountain lights the visible form of something larger than the flame. The Image connects that illumination with ordinary government, where clear presentation can help people understand what is being done. A contemporary reflection can look at the form of your work: language, appearance, and arrangement affect how another person encounters it. Good presentation can make substance easier to see, giving care a visible expression in an explanation or shared task.
The Image also draws a boundary around deciding legal cases, while the Judgment describes only a small advantage in going forward. Adornment has a scale and a limit in this passage. For present reflection, consider what an attractive or orderly appearance can establish and what still needs investigation. A polished account may communicate an arrangement effectively while leaving its evidence unexamined. Decisions with serious consequences require attention to the facts that support the appearance.
A question to sit with
What part of this situation needs evidence beyond its attractive or orderly presentation?
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