Hexagram 21, line 2
六二Line 2 of Biting Together
Six in the second place · 噬嗑 shì kè
爻辭 The line text
噬膚滅鼻，无咎。The second line, divided, shows one biting through the soft flesh, and (going on to) bite off the nose. There will be no error.
噬膚滅鼻，乘剛也。'He bites through the soft flesh, and (goes on) to bite off the nose:'—(the subject of the line) is mounted on the strong (first line).
In plain words
From line two to line five the lines are the biters, and what they bite is the offence. Line two 'bites through soft flesh and the nose disappears': the matter yields easily, but the bite goes deeper than intended. It is yin in a central, correct place, so the correction is fair; yet the small Image notes that it 'rides on the strong' (乘剛也), sitting on top of the hard first line, and 程頤 takes this as the reason for the excess — a mild judge dealing with a stubborn case has to bite harder than the softness of the flesh would suggest. No blame, because the depth was needed.
If this line is changing
The matter looks easy to settle, but the other party is harder than it looks; be prepared to go deeper than feels comfortable, and do not apologise for doing so.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin line that moves when cast.
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
- It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 震 Zhen (the Arousing) (thunder).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 5: both lines are yin, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
噬嗑 Biting Together becomes ䷥ 38 睽 Divergence
Fire rising and the lake sinking: two moving apart. Opposition — good fortune only in small matters; yet difference has its uses, as heaven and earth differ and still work together.
What it becomes38 · 睽 DivergencekuíThe six lines of 噬嗑 Biting Together
- 初九Nine at the beginningfeet in the stocks · stopped early · no blame
- 六二Six in the second placebiting soft flesh · easy and deep · riding the strong
- 六三Six in the third placeold dried meat · meeting poison · wrong place
- 九四Nine in the fourth placemeat on the bone · metal arrows · hard but right
- 六五Six in the fifth placedried meat · yellow gold · firm amid danger
- 上九Nine at the topthe cangue · deaf to warning · evil
Read 噬嗑 Biting Together for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the second place of hexagram 21, Biting Together, mean?
- From line two to line five the lines are the biters, and what they bite is the offence. Line two 'bites through soft flesh and the nose disappears': the matter yields easily, but the bite goes deeper than intended. It is yin in a central, correct place, so the correction is fair; yet the small Image notes that it 'rides on the strong' (乘剛也), sitting on top of the hard first line, and 程頤 takes this as the reason for the excess — a mild judge dealing with a stubborn case has to bite harder than the softness of the flesh would suggest. No blame, because the depth was needed.
- What does hexagram 21 become when line 2 changes?
- Biting Together becomes hexagram 38, 睽 Divergence: Fire rising and the lake sinking: two moving apart. Opposition — good fortune only in small matters; yet difference has its uses, as heaven and earth differ and still work together.
- Is line 2 of Biting Together in its correct place?
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands. It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).