I Ching hexagram · 21 of 64
Hexagram 21: Biting Through 噬嗑 Shì Hé · Decisiveness, justice, clearing obstacles
Remove obstacles decisively and justly. Success. It helps to administer justice.
- Upper: ☲ Fire
- Lower: ☳ Thunder
- Nuclear: 39
- Opposite: 48
Number
21 of 64
Chinese name
噬嗑 Shì Hé
Upper trigram
☲ Fire
Lower trigram
☳ Thunder
Nuclear hexagram
䷦ 39. Obstruction
Opposite hexagram
䷯ 48. The Well
What hexagram 21 means
Hexagram 21 looks like an open mouth with something stuck between the teeth. It describes an obstacle that must be bitten through, firmly and decisively, before things can come together again.
When someone or something is blocking the way, the problem will not resolve itself. Deal with it clearly and fairly, with the energy of thunder and the clarity of lightning.
The Judgement · 卦辞
噬嗑：亨。利用狱。
Success. It helps to administer justice.
The Image · 象曰
雷电噬嗑；先王以明罚敕法。
Thunder and lightning: the image of biting through. The ancient kings made the penalties clear and the laws firm.
The lines and trigrams
Biting Through places ☲ Fire (离 Lí), the trigram of clarity and brightness, above ☳ Thunder (震 Zhèn), the trigram of movement and arousal. The lower trigram describes the inner situation and the upper trigram the outer world.
A hexagram is read from the bottom line up. Lines 1 to 3 form the lower trigram and lines 4 to 6 the upper trigram. Solid lines are yang and broken lines are yin; in the traditional names a yang line is called Nine (九) and a yin line Six (六).
Hexagram 21 in your life
Love and relationships
An obstacle, a lie or an unresolved issue stands between you. Face it honestly and deal with it rather than letting it fester.
Personal growth
Name the obstacle and deal with it. Clear boundaries and consequences help you move forward.
The six changing lines
If you cast hexagram 21 and some lines come out as changing lines, read the text for those lines, then turn each one into its opposite to find the hexagram your situation is moving towards. See how to consult the I Ching.
Line 1 初九 · Nine at the beginning
Feet fastened in the stocks, so the toes disappear. A light correction early on prevents worse mistakes. No blame.
Line 2 六二 · Six in the second place
Biting through tender meat so the nose disappears. Being a little too harsh is no great blame.
Line 3 六三 · Six in the third place
Biting on old dried meat and striking something poisonous. A little humiliation, but no blame.
Line 4 九四 · Nine in the fourth place
Biting on dried gristly meat, you find metal arrows. Being hard as metal and straight as an arrow in difficulty brings good fortune.
Line 5 六五 · Six in the fifth place
Biting on dried lean meat, you find yellow gold. Stay fair and aware of the danger; no blame.
Line 6 上九 · Nine at the top
Wearing a wooden collar that hides the ears. Refusing to listen to warnings brings misfortune.
Hexagram 21 questions, answered
What does I Ching hexagram 21 mean?
Hexagram 21, Biting Through (噬嗑 Shì Hé), is about decisiveness, justice, clearing obstacles. Remove obstacles decisively and justly. Hexagram 21 looks like an open mouth with something stuck between the teeth. It describes an obstacle that must be bitten through, firmly and decisively, before things can come together again.
What does hexagram 21 mean in love?
An obstacle, a lie or an unresolved issue stands between you. Face it honestly and deal with it rather than letting it fester.
What does hexagram 21 mean for work and money?
Remove blockages, enforce the rules fairly or make a tough decision. Legal matters and disputes need firm, just handling.
Which trigrams make up hexagram 21?
Hexagram 21 has Fire (Lí) as its upper trigram and Thunder (Zhèn) as its lower trigram.
What are the related hexagrams of hexagram 21?
Its nuclear hexagram is 39, Obstruction. Its opposite, with every line changed, is 48, The Well. Turned upside down it becomes 22, Grace.
All 64 hexagrams
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