Shì Hé · Biting Through
Upper trigram: ☲ Fire · lower trigram: ☳ Thunder
An obstacle between the teeth; one must bite through to unite. Justice severs what stands in the way.
The ancient character depicts an open mouth between whose teeth lies a hard obstacle (a bone or a piece of dried wood) preventing the jaws from closing. For the mouth to come together, this obstacle must be broken with a sharp, vigorous bite. It is the symbol of the act of justice, of the clean-cutting decision.
The major obstacle blocking harmony
This hexagram embodies one of the most violent configurations of the Yi Jing. It describes a situation totally blocked by the presence of a disruptive element, a smouldering conflict or manifest bad faith. Nothing can improve as long as this abscess is not lanced. Gentle diplomacy is ineffective here; one must intervene with force.
Cut to the quick without hesitation
The strategy demands imitating the rigour of nature's laws. The Accomplished Being must conduct a thorough inquiry into the origin of the dysfunction, then apply a sanction or take a radical, irreversible decision: cut the Gordian knot. It is through this absolute firmness that equity is restored and the flow allowed to circulate again.
Energetically, the figure joins the trigram of Thunder (Zhen, the violent impulse) below to the trigram of Light (Li, lucidity) above. Thunder and Lightning act in concert to purify the atmosphere. Action (Zhen) is guided by a perfectly clear vision of the situation (Li). The challenge is to act without personal anger, but with the cold rigour of objective discernment.
Each line is read only if it is changing in your cast. A changing line transforms the figure: the link under each text shows which hexagram it leads to.
Three-coin or yarrow-stalk cast, changing lines, outlook figure — computed on your device, no account.