Hexagram 21 of 64
噬嗑 Shì Hé · Biting Through
上 離 Fire (Lí) over 下 震 Thunder (Zhèn)
Bite through what is stuck.
Judgment
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, judgment. English translation in preparation.
Image
In short: thunder and lightning join.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, Great Image. Short gloss by Koyonari; full translation in preparation.
Commentary
Shì Hé is thunder and lightning uniting; something is caught between upper and lower jaws, preventing closure. Shì Hé speaks of biting through what is lodged: do not circumvent it, nor swallow it whole, but work through it patiently against its innate toughness. The obstruction itself is often small, yet the detour taken to avoid it is exceedingly long.
Koyonari commentary.
The Six Lines
“Wearing stocks covering the toes; no blame.” A penal restraint is fitted around the feet, concealing the toes and restricting movement. ‘No blame’ means no fault and no grounds for reproach. The first line of Shìkè uses a minor punishment to stop a fault as it begins, so that a person knows to stop in time, before falling into a more serious offense.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 1. Koyonari translation.
“Shoes in stocks, destroying toes: he does not walk.” Wearing wooden stocks on the feet covers the toes; the Xiang Commentary says “he does not walk,” meaning punishment is inflicted at the beginning to halt him from going forward in wrongdoing.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 2. Koyonari translation.
“Biting into soft skin so deep that the nose is buried; no blame.” Soft meat is easy to bite, yet the bite goes deep enough to bury the nose. Biting meat represents punishment. The matter is not difficult, but the yielding second line sits above the firm first line, called ‘riding on the firm’ in the Xiàng Zhuàn (Commentary on the Images), so punishment is rather severe. Central and correctly placed, the second line still has ‘no blame’: no fault.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 3. Koyonari translation.
“Biting tender meat, the nose sinks in: he rides the firm.” Biting soft meat submerges the nose; the Xiang Commentary attributes this to “riding the firm”: six in the second place is a yin line resting atop the firm yang of initial nine, so penalties are enforced too harshly.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 4. Koyonari translation.
“Biting into dried meat and encountering poison; slight distress, no blame.” Biting tough dried game meat, one encounters a spoiled, poisonous part (ancient commentaries explain this as a foul taste and the taint of decay). This represents punishing someone unwilling to submit, only to meet resentment and resistance. The third line's own position is inappropriate and fails to inspire trust, hence ‘slight humiliation’, a little shame and regret. Yet punishing wrongdoing has its justification, so there is still ‘no blame’, meaning no fault.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 5. Koyonari translation.
“Encountering poison: the position is improper.” Biting dried meat and encountering poison, the Xiang Commentary attributes this to “improper position”: six in the third place is a yin line in a yang position. Ancient commentaries mostly explain this as misapplying penalties, failing to convince people.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 6. Koyonari translation.
“Biting into dried bony meat and finding a bronze arrowhead; favorable to be steadfast in hardship; good fortune.” Biting dried meat with bones, one finds a metal arrow. The hard-to-bite meat represents obstacles difficult to handle; the metal arrow symbolizes strength and uprightness. ‘Favorable to be steadfast in hardship’ means that only treating matters as difficult and holding to the right path is favorable. This attitude brings ‘good fortune’, a good outcome.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 7. Koyonari translation.
“Steadfast amidst hardship brings good fortune: not yet glorious.” Persevering in hardship brings good fortune; the Xiang Commentary notes it is “not yet glorious” because nine in the fourth occupies a yin seat, its way not yet magnified.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 8. Koyonari translation.
“Biting into dried meat and finding yellow gold; steadfastness in danger brings no blame.” Biting dried meat and finding gold represents handling difficult matters: dried meat is harder to bite than soft meat. The fifth line is yin in a yang position, called ‘not correctly placed’ in the Tuàn Zhuàn (Commentary on the Judgment), yet central and yielding. Yellow is the center’s color; metal symbolizes firmness and uprightness. ‘Steadfastness in danger’ means maintaining the right path despite danger; constant caution alone brings ‘no blame’, no fault.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 9. Koyonari translation.
“Steadfast in danger, no blame: he has attained what is proper.” Remaining cautious in danger and holding fast to correctness avoids blame; the Xiang Commentary explains this is because six in the fifth place, though in honor, decides penalties by the mean with appropriate discretion.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 10. Koyonari translation.
“Wearing a heavy neck cangue covering the ears; misfortune.” A penal restraint is borne around the head and neck, concealing even the ears (hé is read here as hè, meaning to bear or wear). At the top line of Shìkè, faults have accumulated deeply, and punishment has grown more severe accordingly. ‘Misfortune’ means an unfavorable situation and warns of the consequences of refusing advice and allowing wrongdoing to reach its extreme.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 11. Koyonari translation.
“Bearing a cangue that covers the ears: hearing is not sharp.” Carrying a heavy cangue that covers the ears brings harsh punishment; the Xiang Commentary indicates that at the end of the hexagram evil peaks without repentance, refusing good counsel so that what is heard is not discerned.
Zhouyi, hexagram 21, line 12. Koyonari translation.