Bǐ · Holding Together
Upper trigram: ☵ Water · lower trigram: ☷ Earth
Unite around a center; come in time. Latecomers find the door closed.
The primitive character shows two human beings depicted side by side, walking in step or holding hands as a sign of mutual solidarity. This simple image illustrates the fundamental principle of voluntary rallying and shared trust. It symbolises the natural aggregation of individual forces that choose to unite in order to break isolation and found a solidary community.
The convergence of energies
This hexagram describes an eminently relational phase in which individual success is inseparable from belonging to a group or a network. It is the archetypal situation of association, of founding a couple, of strategic partnership. The conditions are ripe for solitudes to dissolve into a collective dynamic, but this union can only work if it is organised around a principle or a leader worthy of respect.
Sincere commitment and fidelity to the centre
The counsel of the Yi Jing is to join forces without delay, but with absolute clarity of intention. If you possess the required qualities, be the pole of attraction that gathers; if not, rally without hesitation to a solid federating centre. Alliance requires deep adherence, free of ulterior motives or selfish calculation, for lukewarmness or delay in commitment would lead to failure. By strengthening bonds of mutual aid and respecting the natural hierarchy of this union, you transform scattered forces into a lasting protective shield.
Structurally, this figure is composed of the trigram of Earth (Kun, listening, availability) below, beneath the trigram of Water (Kan, trouble, fluidity) above. The descending movement of Water comes to soak and fecundate the Earth, which welcomes it with docility, creating a perfect interpenetration. It is the image of water upon the earth, uniting with it. Nevertheless, the examination of the nuclear hexagram reveals the presence of Splitting Apart (hexagram 23), which serves as an essential safeguard: alliance is not an immutable state of rest, it is a daily work that demands constantly pruning away misunderstandings and the residue of time in order to last in harmony.
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.