小畜 → 噬嗑
Hexagram 9: Small Taming → Hexagram 21: Biting Through
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 4, 5).
Line 2
九二 牽復。吉。
Nine in the second place means: He allows himself to be drawn into returning. Good fortune.
Line 3
九三 輿說輻。夫妻反目。
Nine in the third place means: The spokes burst out of the wagon wheels. Man and wife roll their eyes.
Line 4
六四 有孚。血去惕出。无咎。
Six in the fourth place means: If you are sincere, blood vanishes and fear gives way. No blame.
Line 5
九五 有孚攣如。富以其鄰。
Nine in the fifth place means: If you are sincere and loyally attached, You are rich in your neighbor.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
方啄廣口，仁智聖厚；釋解倒懸，唐國太安。
A broad beak and wide mouth; benevolent, wise, sagely, and generous. Releasing those hung upside down; the land of Tang rests in great peace.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wind above heaven meets fire and thunder biting through obstacles. A broad-beaked bird pecks through hardship; benevolence, wisdom, and sagehood shine through with generosity. Those hung upside down are released from their torment, and the state of Tang enjoys great peace. From Small Taming to Biting Through, gentle cultivation gives way to decisive judicial action. Shi He's image — lightning and thunder together — represents the clarity of law applied with force. The verse shows justice at its best: impediments are bitten through, the innocent freed, and the realm stabilized. The 'state of Tang' evokes the ideal of Yao's ancient domain. When wisdom accompanies power, punishment becomes liberation rather than violence.
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