噬嗑 → 大畜
Hexagram 21: Biting Through → Hexagram 26: Great Taming
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 4).
Line 2
六二 噬膚滅鼻。无咎。
Six in the second place means: Bites through tender meat, So that his nose disappears. No blame.
Line 3
六三 噬腊肉。遇毒。小吝。无咎。
Six in the third place means: Bites on old dried meat And strikes on something poisonous. Slight humiliation. No blame.
Line 4
九四 噬乾胏。得金矢。利艱貞。吉。
Nine in the fourth place means: Bites on dried gristly meat. Receives metal arrows. It furthers one to be mindful of difficulties And to be persevering. Good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
鳧游江海，甘樂其餌；既不近人，雖驚不駭。
Wild ducks swim rivers and seas, delighting in their fare; since they do not approach mankind, though startled they are not afraid.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire and thunder bite through obstacles, and here the scene opens onto serene self-sufficiency. A wild duck swims the rivers and seas, content with its own food, delighting in what it finds. It keeps its distance from human affairs, and though startled, it is never truly frightened. The duck's composure comes from its independence — needing nothing from civilization, it remains unperturbed by its disturbances. From Biting Through to Great Taming, heaven is stored within the mountain. The transformation points to deep inner accumulation: the duck's freedom mirrors the sage who has gathered so much wisdom within that external alarms cannot shake it. True taming is self-possession, not confinement.
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