Hexagram 21 — 噬嗑 (Shì Hé), Biting Through
Above: ☲ 离 Fire Below: ☳ 震 Thunder
The Judgment
亨。利用狱。
Obstacles block the jaws — bite through firmly. Justice and decisive clearing of obstructions succeed.
The Image (Daxiang)
「雷电，噬嗑；先王以明罚敕法。」Thunder and lightning — the kings made punishments clear and laws firm.—— 《周易·大象传》（The Image Commentary）
The Tuan Commentary
彖曰：颐中有物，曰噬嗑。噬嗑而亨，刚柔分，动而明，雷电合而章。柔得中而上行，虽不当位，利用狱也。——《易传·彖传》
The Six Line Texts
| 初九 | 屦校灭趾，无咎。 |
| 六二 | 噬肤灭鼻，无咎。 |
| 六三 | 噬腊肉，遇毒，小吝，无咎。 |
| 九四 | 噬干胏，得金矢，利艰贞，吉。 |
| 六五 | 噬干肉，得黄金，贞厉，无咎。 |
| 上九 | 何校灭耳，凶。 |
In Plain Terms
Remove the obstruction decisively and fairly. When you receive this hexagram, hold the judgment beside your question: it describes a posture and a season, not a script.
I Ching judgments quoted from the Zhouyi (public domain); modern renderings by BaziOracle, for cultural and entertainment reference.