六爻
Judith Beheading Holofernes
䷔

第21卦

噬嗑

Shì Kè

Biting Through

Judith Beheading Holofernes — Artemisia Gentileschi, 1620

Judith grips Holofernes by the hair, sword halfway through his neck. Artemisia Gentileschi painted this biblical execution in 1620, showing the widow and her maidservant in the act of decapitating the Assyrian general who besieged their city. The Baroque painter rendered the violence with surgical precision—blood spurts, muscles strain, the general's face contorts in the moment between life and death. An obstacle to survival meets decisive removal.

阅读完整论述 ↓

This is Shì Hé (噬嗑), Biting Through—the character literally depicting teeth meeting through something lodged between them. The hexagram shows Fire (Lí) above Thunder (Zhèn): clarity and illumination over arousing force. In Zhou Dynasty legal proceedings, this configuration appeared when something blocked justice, when compromise had failed, when only forceful intervention could restore order. The image is forensic: to join upper and lower jaw, the obstruction must be bitten through. Gentileschi painted this biblical scene showing the widow Judith decapitating the Assyrian general Holofernes, who had besieged her city. The Baroque painter rendered the violent act with dramatic realism, depicting Judith and her maidservant in the midst of the execution. The subject addresses the removal of an obstacle through decisive action. The Judgment text addresses Gentileschi's scene directly: "Biting Through has success. It is favorable to let justice be administered." When normal channels are blocked, forceful clarity becomes necessary. Ancient diviners understood this hexagram as legal intervention—the moment when a judge passes sentence, when punishment removes what prevents social cohesion. Judith acts as judge and executioner, removing Holofernes not from personal grievance but to save her besieged people. The text promises success, but only when the obstruction genuinely prevents necessary union. The Image Text observes: "Thunder and lightning: the image of Biting Through. Thus the kings of old made firm the laws through clearly defined penalties." Lightning illuminates, thunder follows—understanding must precede force. Gentileschi painted Judith's face focused and determined, not enraged. The execution proceeds with the clarity of necessity, not the heat of revenge. In the I-Ching sequence, Biting Through follows Contemplation: after observing the situation from a distance, one identifies what must be removed and acts decisively. The next hexagram is Grace, when the obstacle is gone and proper adornment can proceed.

上卦

☲

離 Lí

Fire — Clinging

五行Fire方位East家庭Second Daughter性质illuminating, dependent, radiant

下卦

☳

震 Zhèn

Thunder — Arousing

五行Wood方位Northwest家庭Eldest Son性质arousing, movement, shocking

经典文本

彖辞

Success. It is favorable to administer justice. When unity is blocked, bite through the obstruction. The obstacle between the teeth must be eliminated. Legal proceedings, clear penalties—these restore order.

爻辞

第初爻

Feet locked in stocks, toes gone. No blame. Punishment at the beginning stops wrong early. The small penalty prevents the greater crime. Better to lose toes than continue.

第二爻

Biting through tender meat, nose disappearing. No blame. Easy to bite through, but the action still costs something. Enforcement has consequences even when successful.

第三爻

Biting through old dried meat, encountering poison. Small humiliation, no blame. Harder material, hidden danger. The work is unpleasant, maybe shameful, but necessary.

第四爻

Biting through gristly meat, finding metal arrowheads. Persistence in difficulty brings good fortune. Very hard work, discovering the weapon within the problem. Persevere through the difficulty.

第五爻

Biting through dried meat, finding yellow gold. Perseverance with awareness of danger. No blame. Hard work yields treasure. Remain alert to the dangers that come with the prize.

第上爻

Neck locked in a wooden collar, ears gone. Misfortune. Punishment at the end—you didn't learn from earlier warnings. Now hearing itself is lost. Too late for correction.

焦氏易林

焦延寿《易林》——第21卦本卦之辞。西汉时期以四言诗阐释卦变，为最早的系统性易学占辞集。

Yilin artwork for Hexagram 21
麒麟鳳凰，善政德祥；陰陽和調，國無災殃。

電雷噬嗑，自化之象。

阅读完整注释 ↓

電雷噬嗑，自化之象。麒麟鳳凰現世，善政德祥之瑞。陰陽和調，國無災殃。麒麟不踐生草，不害生物；鳳凰棲梧桐，飲醴泉——唯聖世方現。此二瑞獸之出，示噬嗑之法已達其極致：非永恆之刑罰，而是創造正義之境，使刑罰歸於無用。噬嗑自化，法度圓成即法度消隱。最完美之法治，是讓法治不再被需要。

English commentary

Fire and thunder return to themselves — Biting Through reflecting upon its own nature. The qilin and the phoenix appear, signs of sage governance and virtuous omens. Yin and yang are harmoniously balanced, and the state knows no calamity. These auspicious creatures emerge only under a sage's rule: the qilin treads on no living grass, the phoenix nests in paulownia. Their arrival signals that the legal order of hexagram 21 has achieved its ultimate purpose — not perpetual punishment but the creation of conditions so just that punishment becomes unnecessary. The doubled hexagram completes the circle: law perfectly administered makes itself obsolete.

卦变

第21卦变为其余各卦，附焦氏易林诗辞。

䷀1䷁2䷂3䷃4䷄5䷅6䷆7䷇8䷈9䷉10䷊11䷋12䷌13䷍14䷎15䷏16䷐17䷑18䷒19䷓20䷔21䷕22䷖23䷗24䷘25䷙26䷚27䷛28䷜29䷝30䷞31䷟32䷠33䷡34䷢35䷣36䷤37䷥38䷦39䷧40䷨41䷩42䷪43䷫44䷬45䷭46䷮47䷯48䷰49䷱50䷲51䷳52䷴53䷵54䷶55䷷56䷸57䷹58䷺59䷻60䷼61䷽62䷾63䷿64

相关卦

同为離（Fire）上卦

䷍大有Great Possession䷝離The Clinging Fire䷢晉Progress䷥睽Opposition䷱鼎The Cauldron䷿未濟Before Completion

同为震（Thunder）下卦

䷂屯Difficulty at the Beginning䷐隨Following䷗復Return䷘无妄Innocence䷚頤Nourishment䷩益Increase䷲震The Arousing Thunder䷽小過Small Exceeding
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