Hexagram 21
Biting Through - Hexagram 21
噬嗑
Meaning and Overview
The upper trigram of Hexagram Biting Through is Li, Fire; the lower trigram is Zhen, Thunder, forming the Fire over Thunder hexagram. The text says: 'Something in the mouth: this is called Biting Through.' When the mouth is filled with food, the teeth chew and bite together; after the food is chewed in the mouth, it is swallowed into the stomach for easy digestion. This is the original meaning of Biting Through. The hexagram statement says: 'Success. It is favorable to use legal proceedings.' This means that the hexagram Biting Through is smooth and beneficial for applying its principles to prison administration and managing criminals. Through reform by prison authorities, criminals receive education, become new persons, return to society, no longer harm it, and become useful people. The main theme of Hexagram Biting Through is how to manage, educate, and reform prisoners. Therefore, the first line says: 'Feet in stocks, the toes disappear. No blame.' When criminals wear wooden shackles on their feet, wearing away their toes, they learn a lesson and no longer commit crimes, thus incurring no blame. If criminals repeatedly refuse to reform, accumulating small evils into great ones, they eventually become unforgivable and incur capital punishment, as the top line says: 'Wearing a cangue, the ears disappear. Misfortune.' The Commentary on the Appended Phrases specifically discusses the themes of the first and top lines of Biting Through. The method for dealing with petty people in the first line is very effective: 'The Master said: Petty people are not ashamed of being unkind, not afraid of being unjust; without seeing profit, they are not spurred; without authority, they are not restrained. Small punishments lead to great caution—this is the blessing of petty people.' Confucius believed that ordinary petty people, without external forces such as shame or authority, generally do not actively practice the way of benevolence and righteousness; without the lure of profit, they also do not actively practice it; without appropriate punishment, they do not learn lessons or correct errors. Regarding the top line, Confucius also analyzed the reason why great evil cannot be undone: 'If goodness is not accumulated, it is not enough to establish a reputation; if evil is not accumulated, it is not enough to destroy oneself. Petty people consider small goodness as unprofitable and do not do it; they consider small evil as harmless and do not remove it. Therefore, evil accumulates and cannot be concealed; crime becomes great and cannot be undone.' In the Commentary on the Appended Phrases, when discussing Shennong, there is an even more primitive interpretation of Biting Through, related to commerce and market trade. It can be said that this hexagram is the ancestor of China's market trade and commerce: 'At midday, they held markets, bringing together the people of the world, gathering all the goods of the world, trading and withdrawing, each obtaining what they needed—this was likely derived from the hexagram Biting Through.'
Chinese Interpretation
《噬嗑》卦上卦是离，为火，下卦是震，为雷，构成火雷《噬嗑》卦。辞说：“颐中有物，曰噬嗑。”嘴巴里面塞满食物，利用牙齿咀嚼咬合，食物经过口腔里面牙齿的咀嚼后，吞咽进胃里面就会容易消化，这就是噬嗑的原意。卦辞说：“亨，利用狱。”就是说《噬嗑》卦亨通，有利于利用《噬嗑》卦的道理治理狱政，管理好罪犯。经过监狱管理方的改造，罪犯得到教育，重新做人，回到社会，不再危害社会，成为有用之人。《噬嗑》卦的主旨就是如何管理好、教育好、改造好服刑人员。因此，初九爻辞说“屦校灭趾，无咎”。罪犯戴上脚等木制刑具，磨掉了脚趾头，罪犯汲取教训，不再犯罪了，不会有过错了。罪犯如果屡教不改，积小恶为大恶，最后罪不可赦，会招来杀头的刑罚，就是上九所说的“何校灭耳，凶”。《系辞传》里面专门谈到《噬嗑》卦初九与上九的爻辞主旨，初九对待小人的方法很管用：“子曰：‘小人不耻不仁，不畏不义，不见利不劝，不威不惩，小惩而大诫，此小人之福也。’”孔子认为一般的小人没有外力的强制，如耻辱、威等力量，他们一般不会主动履行仁义之道，小人们没有利益引诱，也不会主动履行仁义之道，没有给予他们适当惩罚，他们也不会吸取教训，不会改正错误。针对上九，孔子也分析了罪大不可解的原因：“善不积不足以成名，恶不积不足以灭身。小人以小善为无益而弗为也，以小恶为无伤而弗去也。故恶积而不可掩，罪大而不可解。”《系辞传》里面谈到神农氏时，《噬嗑》卦还有一个更为原始的解释，和商业与市场经济贸易相关，可以说此卦是中国的市场贸易商业之祖，“日中为市，致天下之民，聚天下之货，交易而退，各得其所，盖取诸《噬嗑》”。
Line Interpretations
These passages include the core hexagram statement, the six moving line texts, and traditional commentary where available. Read them as layered guidance: the early lines describe the root of the situation, while later lines reveal development, pressure, and outcome.
亨，利用狱。
亨通，有利于施行刑律实行法治。
Success. It is favorable to use legal proceedings.
Success. It is favorable to implement criminal law and rule by law.
初九，屦校灭趾，无咎。
初九爻，脚戴刑具而磨伤了脚趾头，行动不便，吸取教训，不再去犯法，不会有过错。
Nine at the beginning: Feet in stocks, the toes disappear. No blame.
The first line: Wearing shackles on the feet, the toes are worn away, causing difficulty in movement. Learning the lesson, one no longer commits crimes, and there is no fault.
六二，噬肤，灭鼻，无咎。
六二爻，吃带皮的肥肉，不小心弄伤了鼻子，不会有什么过错。
Six in the second: Biting through soft meat, the nose disappears. No blame.
The second line: Eating fatty meat with skin, accidentally injuring the nose, there is no fault.
六三，噬腊肉，遇毒。小吝，无咎。
六三爻，吃腊肉，中了毒，有点小小的遗憾，不会有什么过错。
Six in the third: Biting through dried meat, encountering poison. Small regret. No blame.
The third line: Eating dried meat, getting poisoned. A small regret, but no fault.
九四，噬干胏，得金矢。利艰贞，吉。
九四爻，吃带硬骨头的干肉，还得到了带金属箭头的箭；利于渡过难关，坚守正道，吉祥。
Nine in the fourth: Biting through dried bone, obtaining a metal arrow. Favorable for perseverance in difficulty. Good fortune.
The fourth line: Eating dried meat with hard bones, also obtaining a metal-tipped arrow. Favorable for overcoming difficulties and persisting in the right path. Auspicious.
六五，噬干肉，得黄金。贞厉，无咎。
六五爻，吃干肉，得到了黄金；坚守正道以防危险。
Six in the fifth: Biting through dried meat, obtaining yellow gold. Perseverance brings danger. No blame.
The fifth line: Eating dried meat, obtaining yellow gold. Persist in the right path to guard against danger.
上九，何校灭耳，凶。
上九爻，戴上枷锁，磨掉了耳朵，十分凶险。
Nine at the top: Wearing a cangue, the ears disappear. Misfortune.
The top line: Wearing a cangue, the ears are worn away. Extremely dangerous.