Hexagram 21 噬嗑, Line 3
噬嗑
Hexagram 21 · third line, divided (six)
噬昔肉，遇毒；小吝，无咎。
The third line, divided, shows one gnawing dried flesh, and meeting with what is disagreeable. There will be occasion for some small regret, but no (great) error.
James Legge (1882), public domain.
Small image (小象)
遇毒，位不當也。
If only this line changes, hexagram 21 becomes hexagram 30.
← Hexagram 21 噬嗑: judgment and all lines
Character glossary
- 噬shìto bite, to gnaw; to snap at
- 昔xīpast, former; ancient
- 肉ròumeat; flesh
- 遇yùto meet, to encounter, to come across
- 毒dúpoison, venom; drug, narcotic
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 吝lìnstingy, miserly; parsimonious
- 无wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 咎jiùfault, defect; error, mistake
- 位wèiseat, throne; rank, status; position, lo
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 當dāngappropriate, timely; to act, to serve; t
- 也yěalso, too
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.