Classical Text 古典文獻 · I Ching 易經
Hexagram 21 — Fire over Thunder (火雷噬嗑) - Biting Through
噬嗑
Upper Canon 上經
Hexagram Symbol & Trigrams
卦象與八卦
Judgment
卦辭
噬嗑：亨。利用獄。
Biting Through has success. It is favorable to let justice be administered.
Image
象傳
象曰：雷電，噬嗑；先王以明罰敕法。
Thunder and lightning: the image of Biting Through. Thus the kings of old made firm the laws through clearly defined penalties.
Interpretation
詮釋
噬嗑卦象徵咬合與裁決。雷電並作，排除障礙。暗示著需要果斷處理問題，執行公正的懲罰。
Biting through and judgment. Thunder and lightning together, removing obstacles. Suggests need for decisive problem-solving and just punishment.
Six Lines
爻辭
Nine at the beginning
初九
履校滅趾，無咎。
His feet are fastened in the stocks, so that his toes disappear. No blame.
足戴刑具遮住腳趾，無咎。初犯輕罰作為警告，可防大過。
Feet in stocks covering the toes brings no blame. Light punishment for first offense serves as warning, preventing greater error.
Six in the second place
六二
噬膚滅鼻，無咎。
Bites through tender meat, so that the nose disappears. No blame.
咬穿嫩肉遮住鼻子，無咎。處理柔軟問題過於用力，但無大礙。
Biting through soft meat covering the nose brings no blame. Excessive force on soft problems but no serious harm.
Six in the third place
六三
噬腊肉，遇毒。小吝，無咎。
Bites on old dried meat and strikes on something poisonous. Slight humiliation. No blame.
咬到臘肉遇到毒物。小有困窘，但無大咎。處理陳年舊案遇阻，但堅持正確。
Biting old meat encounters poison. Slight embarrassment but no great blame. Dealing with old cases meets resistance, but persevere correctly.
Nine in the fourth place
九四
噬乾胏，得金矢，利艱貞，吉。
Bites on dried gristly meat. Receives metal arrows. It furthers one to be mindful of difficulties and to be persevering. Good fortune.
咬乾肉筋，得到金箭。宜知艱難守正，吉。處理困難案件需堅毅。
Biting dried gristle, receiving metal arrows. Being aware of difficulties and persevering brings fortune. Handling difficult cases requires strength.
Six in the fifth place
六五
噬乾肉，得黃金，貞厲，無咎。
Bites on dried lean meat. Receives yellow gold. Perseveringly aware of danger. No blame.
咬乾瘦肉，得到黃金。守正而警覺危險，無咎。執法需中正謹慎。
Biting dried lean meat, receiving yellow gold. Maintaining correctness while aware of danger brings no blame. Enforcing law requires balance and caution.
Nine at the top
上九
何校滅耳，凶。
His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue, so that his ears disappear. Misfortune.
頸戴枷鎖遮住耳朵，凶。重罪重罰，已無可救。不聽勸告終受大刑。
Neck in the cangue covering the ears brings misfortune. Serious crime, heavy punishment, beyond redemption. Refusing advice leads to severe penalty.
Source: I Ching (易經), Hexagram 21