噬嗑 → 既濟
Hexagram 21: Biting Through → Hexagram 63: After Completion
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 3, 4, 5, 6).
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
春桃生花，季女宜家；受福多年，男為封君。
The wedding gown, stored in the chest for ten years — on an auspicious day, the red makeup is opened. Children and grandchildren fill the hall like pomegranate seeds — the peach trees in the courtyard have grown into rows.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire and thunder clear the way, and here the original verse blooms with domestic happiness. Spring peach trees burst into flower, and the youngest daughter makes a fine match — a bride who brings joy to her new household. Blessings last for many years; her sons grow up to become enfeoffed lords. The peach blossom is the Shijing's quintessential image of the young bride (桃夭), radiant with promise and fertility. The verse is a wedding benediction compressed into four lines. From Biting Through to After Completion, water rests above fire in perfect equilibrium. All elements are in their proper place: the bride has entered, the household is formed, sons continue the line, and the peach tree stands in perpetual spring.
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