噬嗑 → 節
Hexagram 21: Biting Through → Hexagram 60: Limitation
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 2, 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 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
徙足去域，飛入東國；有所畏避，深藏隱匿。
Moving one's feet, leaving the domain, flying into the eastern kingdom; having something to fear and avoid -- one hides deep in concealment.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire and thunder enforce the law, and here the response to danger is swift relocation. One lifts one's feet and leaves the territory, flying into the eastern kingdom. There is something to fear and avoid, so one hides deeply and conceals oneself in obscurity. The verse describes political exile or flight from persecution — the decisive act of abandoning a dangerous place for a distant refuge. The 'eastern kingdom' may suggest Qi or another eastern state, traditional havens for refugees. From Biting Through to Limitation, water rests above the lake, establishing proper boundaries. The transformation teaches that knowing one's limits includes knowing when to flee: the fugitive who sets a boundary between self and danger practices the most essential form of limitation.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store