Hexagram 21
火雷噬嗑
Biting Through
Hexagram 21, Shi He (Biting Through), is Thunder above, Fire below - lightning and thunder, the image of decisive judgment.
Upper Trigram
☲
离 (火)
Lower Trigram
☳
震 (木)
Palace
巽 Palace
Shi / Ying Lines
Shi: Line 5 · Ying: Line 2
The 离 trigram (火) sits above the 震 trigram (木), forming 火雷噬嗑. This hexagram belongs to the 巽 Palace.
Judgment (卦辞)
Biting Through has success. It is favorable to let justice be administered.
Judgment text follows the Wilhelm–Baynes translation (The I Ching or Book of Changes, Princeton University Press), quoted for commentary.
Image (象辞)
Thunder and lightning: the image of Biting Through.
Line Texts (爻辞)
His feet are fastened in the stocks. (屦校灭趾)
Bites through tender meat, nose disappears. (噬肤灭鼻)
Bites on old dried meat, strikes poison. (噬腊肉)
Bites on dried gristly meat. Receives metal arrows. (噬干胏)
Bites on dried lean meat. Receives yellow gold. (噬干肉)
His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue. (何校灭耳)
Hexagram 21 in Love & Relationships
Relationships: Unspoken resentments are the obstacles that Shi He addresses. Bite through the silence with honest communication.
Hexagram 21 in Career & Decisions
Career: When a problem festers, address it directly. Biting through is painful but necessary - delay makes it worse.
Hexagram 21 as a yes / no answer
Depends on timing
The hexagram counsels timing and care: the answer depends on how and when you proceed.
The I Ching reads situations, not fixed outcomes — your reading can weigh the moving lines with this leaning.
In-Depth Analysis[+]
Hexagram 21, Shi He (Biting Through), is Thunder above, Fire below - lightning and thunder, the image of decisive judgment. An obstacle blocks the way, and it must be bitten through. This is the hexagram of justice, of removing obstructions through clear and forceful action. The judgment says it is favorable to let justice be administered. The lines trace the progression from mild punishment (feet in stocks) to severe (neck in cangue). The hexagram teaches that obstacles do not dissolve on their own; they must be confronted directly with clarity and courage.
Historical Stories[+]
Judge Bao Zheng of the Song Dynasty, known as Justice Bao, who famously punished criminals regardless of their social status, even executing the emperor's son-in-law for murder. He embodied Shi He's principle that justice must bite through all obstacles.
The Nuremberg Trials after World War II: the international community bit through the obstacle of sovereign immunity to establish the principle that crimes against humanity would be judged.
Practical Applications[+]
Career: When a problem festers, address it directly. Biting through is painful but necessary - delay makes it worse.
Relationships: Unspoken resentments are the obstacles that Shi He addresses. Bite through the silence with honest communication.
Personal Growth: Identify the one obstruction in your life you have been avoiding. Confront it this week.
Classical Sources for Hexagram 21
卜筮正宗 (The Orthodox Manual of Divination)清 (Qing Dynasty, 1644–1912)
The Eighteen Questions framework, the classification of hexagram patterns by life domain (career, wealth, relationships, health, travel, litigation), and the methodological rules for interpreting conflicting lines.
Related Hexagrams
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