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Chapter 21 of 64
东坡易传
Biting Through: Success. It is favorable to apply punishment and penalties.
When the Way declines, all things are compelled to seek integration and transformation through mutual "biting." At that point, it is already too late—hence "it is favorable to apply punishment and penalties" ⚖️.
"There is something in the mouth — this is called 'Biting Through.'"
The reason it becomes "Biting Through" is entirely because the nine in the fourth place — a yang line — lies horizontally in between; if it were not there, this would be the "Yi" (Nourishment) hexagram.
"Biting Through" achieves success through the balance of firmness and gentleness — the firm and yielding lines are clearly distinguished, each performing its proper function, acting with clarity and illumination.
In the time of "Biting Through," what is bitten is not one's own kind, but the alien element dwelling in the middle. The yang line desires to bite the yin line, seeking harmony with yang; the yin line desires to bite the yang line, seeking harmony with yin. Thus it is said: "The firm and yielding are distinguished, acting with clarity and illumination" 🔥.
When thunder and lightning combine, their brilliance is manifest. The yielding line attains the central position and moves upward — although its position is not proper, it is nevertheless "favorable for applying punishment and penalties."
— The "yielding attains the center and moves upward" here refers to the six in the fifth place.
Thunder and lightning occur together — this is the image of "Biting Through." The former kings, inspired by this, clarified punishments and rectified the laws.
Initial Nine: Wearing shackles on the feet, obscuring the toes. No blame.
The Xiang says: "Wearing shackles obscuring the toes" — this is to prevent him from moving forward.
In the time of "Biting Through," none of the six lines fails to engage in "biting" as their affair. From the six in the second place to the six in the fifth place, they bite each other repeatedly from above and below, yet they can still maintain mutual regard and peace through caution and fear. Only the initial nine and top nine bite inward upon the three yin lines, yet no one comes to bite them in return — insatiable and unwary, they thus begin with minor transgressions and end in major calamities. The sage entrusts to these two lines the complete trajectory of the petty person from beginning to end; on those other four lines, he elucidates the gains and losses of mutual biting.
Six in the Second Place: Biting through soft flesh, penetrating to the nose. No blame.
The Xiang says: "Biting through flesh, penetrating to the nose" — this is because it rides atop the firm line.
A yin line at a yin position represents the utmost gentleness of one who does not resist. Therefore the initial nine bites it as if biting tender, soft flesh, penetrating even "to the nose" without knowing when to stop. Yet "penetrating to the nose without stopping" is not to the advantage of the initial nine. Since it is not to the initial nine's advantage, the six in the second place incurs no blame.
Six in the Third Place: Biting through dried meat, encountering poison. Minor regret, but no blame.
"Dried meat," "dried game," and "dried flesh" are all things difficult to bite through. In the Book of Changes, wherever a yin line dwells at a yang position, it is not purely yielding but contains within it a component of firmness. Thus the six in the third place and the six in the fifth place both display the image of "difficulty in biting through." When circumstances inevitably make resistance impossible, the superior person regards non-resistance as the greater virtue — this is precisely what the six in the second place embodies. The six in the third place, facing the nine in the fourth place, lacks the strength to match it, yet harbors resentment and hatred while waiting for the other to bite — this already reveals narrowness of spirit, hence "minor regret." It acts out of intolerable suffering from being bitten, and therefore it is not their own fault.
The Xiang says: "Encountering poison" — because the position is inappropriate.
Had it been a yin line at a yin position, there would be no "poison" any longer.
Nine in the Fourth Place: Biting through dried game, receiving a metal arrow.
— This takes its meaning from hardness that inspires reverence.
It is favorable to maintain steadfastness amid difficulty. Auspicious.
The Xiang says: "Favorable to maintain steadfastness amid difficulty, auspicious" — because it has not yet become fully luminous.
Six in the Fifth Place: Biting through dried flesh, receiving yellow gold.
— This takes its meaning from occupying the central and honored position.
Maintain correctness with vigilance. No blame.
The Xiang says: "Correctness amidst danger, no blame" — because it occupies an appropriate position.
The nine in the fourth place dwells between two yin lines; the six in the fifth place dwells between two yang lines. Both occupy positions of strife, leading them to bite one another. Those who cannot be moved by mutual kindness but make biting their sole aspiration can only find slight peace when there perpetually exists an enemy to trigger their biting; if the enemy were to vanish, the biting would have nowhere to be directed — would this not nearly become self-biting? Viewed from this perspective, those without virtue who bite one another find blessing in the existence of enemies. The nine in the fourth place "bites through dried game and receives a metal arrow"; the six in the fifth place "bites through dried flesh and receives yellow gold" — the difficulty of biting for the nine in the fourth place is precisely the "gain" of the six in the third and six in the fifth places; the difficulty of biting for the six in the fifth place is precisely the "gain" of the nine in the fourth and top nine. The meaning of "gain" here is like saying "relying on this for continued existence." "Favorable to maintain steadfastness amid difficulty, auspicious," "correctness amidst danger," and "no blame" — all indicate that one cannot dwell in peace and enjoy blessings; only those with true virtue can dwell in peace and enjoy blessings. Can one truly depend on the existence of enemies for survival? Hence it is said: "Not yet fully luminous." "Attaining the proper position" refers to occupying the appropriate position between two yang lines.
Top Nine: Wearing a cangue on the shoulders, obscuring the ears. Misfortune.
The Xiang says: "Wearing a cangue obscuring the ears" — this is dullness of hearing.
"Obscuring the toes" merely prevents movement; without moving, one may still avoid blame. But "obscuring the ears" abolishes one's capacity to hear altogether. It is too late for redemption, hence "misfortune."
Dongpo distills from the "Biting Through" hexagram an exceptionally profound dialectical proposition: "Those without virtue who bite one another find blessing in the existence of enemies." When a system lacks genuine integrative power through virtue, internal friction and antagonism paradoxically become the hidden mechanism maintaining equilibrium. Once the enemy disappears, biting turns upon itself — the terror of internal consumption is greater than the threat of external foes.
At the level of the hexagram image, the nine in the fourth place, as "the object within the mouth," is the pivotal hinge of the entire hexagram — it is simultaneously the obstruction (something in the mouth) and the very source of meaning (requiring biting before union is achieved). Dongpo specifically observes: "That which makes it 'Biting Through' is the fourth line; otherwise, it would be 'Nourishment.'" This single sentence illuminates that the obstacle itself constitutes the essence of the event.
"The firm and yielding are distinguished, acting with clarity and illumination" emphasizes the bidirectional dynamic of yang desiring to bite yin and yin desiring to bite yang. This asymmetric mutual interaction is precisely the necessary path through which things move from chaos toward order ⚡.
In the contemporary context, the principles revealed by the "Biting Through" hexagram can be mapped onto the following scenarios:
Organizational Governance: When a "foreign body" appears within a team (such as a rule-breaker, one who undermines norms, or a disruptive subculture), soft "edification" has already failed, and institutional "use of penal procedures" must be activated. Dongpo's statement that "when the Way declines, and things reach the point of mutual biting to seek harmony and transformation, it is already too late" precisely parallels the modern management principle that "institutionalized punishment is the last resort after cultural consensus has failed" 🏛️.
Competitive Ecology: The perspective of "finding blessing in the existence of enemies" is remarkably modern. In business competition, competitive edge often derives from the "pressure" exerted by rivals. When an industry has no opponents, enterprises easily fall into self-consumption — internal strife, rigidity, innovation fatigue. As the saying goes, "a state without external troubles is destined to perish." Dongpo captures this dilemma in the four characters "不几于自噬乎" (would this not nearly become self-biting?) 🔥.
Individual Growth: The initial nine and top nine represent two extremes — beginning with minor transgressions (obscuring the toes, still redeemable) and ending with major calamities (obscuring the ears, irredeemable). Modern society's rule-consciousness works precisely in this way: minor early violations left unchecked will ultimately result in the loss of "hearing" — the complete numbness of one's capacity to perceive rules and feedback.
| Hexagram Line | Symbolic State | Modern Decision-Making Reference |
|---|---|---|
| Initial Nine | Minor punishment halting action at the outset | Early warning, mild sanction; the key lies in "not proceeding" rather than "heavy punishment" |
| Six in the Second | Yielding and being bitten | Under powerful pressure, non-resistance is sometimes the optimal strategy, avoiding wasteful expenditure |
| Six in the Third | Weak in strength, harboring resentment | If one cannot fight back, do not "harbor poison and wait"; it only leads to "minor regret" |
| Nine in the Fourth | Core of the obstacle | If you are the "foreign body" within the system, know that your very existence is another's "gain" |
| Six in the Fifth | Central, maintaining correctness | Situated between two difficult poles, maintain correctness with constant vigilance to avoid blame |
| Top Nine | Accumulated wrongdoing without reform | When punishment can no longer awaken self-awareness, misfortune is inevitable |
Hypothesis–Action–Review Methodology:
The most exquisite aspect of Dongpo's commentary lies in his redefinition of the word "gain." "The meaning of 'gain' is like saying 'relying on this for continued existence.'" What we ordinarily understand as "gain" is the acquisition of benefits, but Dongpo interprets it as "dependent upon this for continued existence." The nine in the fourth place's "receiving the metal arrow" and the six in the fifth place's "receiving yellow gold" do not refer to obtaining material wealth, but rather to preserving one's own meaning and function precisely through the hardness of the object one bites. This is a profoundly ontological perspective: the resistance of the Other is precisely the condition of one's own self-continuation.
From this emerges the judgment of "not yet fully luminous" — depending on enemies for existence is, after all, not the highest state. True "dwelling in peace and enjoying blessings" is attainable only by those with virtue. Here Dongpo tacitly echoes the wisdom of the Laozi: "It is precisely because one does not contend that no one under heaven can contend with him" — that which transcends the logic of "biting through" is the virtuous integration that requires no biting at all.