Biting Through

The Judgment

Something hard is caught between the upper and lower lips, and the mouth cannot close until it is bitten through — Biting Through is about clearing an obstacle and deciding firmly. Like an object stuck in the mouth that you can neither chew nor swallow, only by biting through can the two sides meet again. There is thunder and lightning in this image, quick and forceful, pointing to situations that call for prompt decision and the removal of what is jammed. It often speaks of a problem that must be dealt with and a justice that must be carried out: drag it out unresolved, and it only lodges tighter. The tone now is clear discernment joined to decisiveness — see right from wrong plainly, then act cleanly, without dithering. But biting through an obstacle relies on the right force, not on brute severity. That matter that has been stuck on your hands — has it come to the moment to bite through?

The Six Lines

1. First line

   The feet are set in stocks, hiding the toes; such a small correction actually makes one halt and avoid a greater fault. This line is about catching a wrong at first offense: to be checked while the problem is still small looks like an inconvenience but is in fact a good thing. An early, clear warning keeps you from wandering ever farther down a mistaken road.

2. Second line

   You bite into the soft flesh, deep enough that the nose sinks in; to deal so plainly with an obvious wrong does no real harm. This line says you may act briskly where the problem is soft, only take care with your force when it runs a little strong. Do not hesitate over the easy part, but do not overdo it just because it gives way readily.

3. Third line

   You bite into cured meat gone stale and taste a little rot — a small awkwardness. This line is about handling an old, long-standing matter, where you are bound to strike something unclean and unpleasant. The going is a touch obstructed and leaves you ill at ease, but keep chewing and there is no great harm; do not back off over a passing discomfort.

4. Fourth line

   You bite into dried meat on the bone and, with effort, work out a metal arrowhead hidden inside. This line is about gnawing a hard bone: the going is strenuous, yet the reward is real. It asks you to hold to what is right amid the difficulty and keep your resilience — do not let go because it is hard. Those willing to work the hard places dig out value others cannot see.

5. Fifth line

   You bite into dried, tough meat and come away with the weight of yellow gold. This line is about handling a thorny matter and gaining by it: the position is important and the responsibility heavy, so doing it with a measure of wariness is what keeps it sound. The more power to judge you hold, the more you tread as if on thin ice — upright and careful, so nothing slips.

6. Top line

   A heavy cangue is worn about the neck, covering even the ears, so counsel cannot get in. This is the weightiest line, about faults piled too deep in one who no longer hears a warning. It does not ask you to resign yourself; it warns the other way — do not let small errors grow into a trouble deaf to good advice. To be willing to listen and to change is never too late.

Reading the Change

Biting Through is about cutting through an obstacle and dealing with it decisively; from the first line to the top, it runs through catching a wrong early, striking cleanly, gnawing the hard bone for real gain, and heeding the warning before faults grow past mending. When a line changes, the force with which you clear the blockage turns at one particular stage. A change low down usually asks you to deal with the problem briskly while it is still small; a change up top speaks to the care and listening owed by one who holds the power to judge. Read where the changing line falls, then the resulting hexagram, and you know which way this matter is being brought to a close. Biting through relies on aim and steadiness, not on hardness.