噬嗑 → 需
Hexagram 21: Biting Through → Hexagram 5: Waiting
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 4, 5, 6).
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.
Line 5
六五 噬乾肉。得黃金。貞厲。无咎。
Six in the fifth place means: Bites on dried lean meat. Receives yellow gold. Perseveringly aware of danger. No blame.
Line 6
上九 何校滅耳。凶。
Nine at the top means: His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue, So that his ears disappear. Misfortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
日月相望，光輝盛昌；三聖茂功，仁德大隆。
Sun and moon gaze upon each other, their radiance shining bright; the three sages' flourishing work -- benevolence and virtue greatly thrive.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire and thunder illuminate the law, and here that brightness multiplies into cosmic radiance. Sun and moon gaze upon each other in full splendor, their light flourishing to its greatest. The Three Sages — traditionally understood as Yu, Tang, and the founders of Zhou — accomplish magnificent deeds, and benevolent virtue rises to its zenith. The 'Three Sages' (三聖) likely refers to the sage-kings whose moral authority established lasting dynasties. From Biting Through to Waiting, the transformation unfolds naturally: clouds gather above heaven, but instead of menacing storms, they herald a great feast. The harsh clarity of legal enforcement softens into the patient luminosity of accumulated virtue.
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