Hexagram 9 小畜 changing to hexagram 21 噬嗑
Changing lines (counted from the bottom): 2, 3, 4, 5.
What to read
Four changing lines: read the two unchanged lines of the resulting hexagram; the lower one is the main one. (Rule set out by Zhu Xi in the Yixue qimeng.)
Hexagram 21 噬嗑, line 1
屨校滅趾，无咎。
The first line, undivided, shows one with his feet in the stocks and deprived of his toes. There will be no error.
Hexagram 21 噬嗑, line 6
何校滅耳，凶。
The sixth line, undivided, shows one wearing the cangue, and deprived of his ears. There will be evil.
The two hexagrams
Hexagram 9 小畜 — judgment
亨。密雲不雨，自我西郊。
Hsiâo Khû indicates that (under its conditions) there will be progress and success. (We see) dense clouds, but no rain coming from our borders in the west.
Hexagram 21 噬嗑 — judgment
亨。利用獄。
Shih Ho indicates successful progress (in the condition of things which it supposes). It will be advantageous to use legal constraints.
The changing lines of hexagram 9
| Line | Chinese | Legge |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | 牽復，吉。 | The second line, undivided, shows its subject, by the attraction (of the former line), returning (to the proper course). There will be good fortune. |
| 3 | 車說輹，夫妻反目。 | The third line, undivided, suggests the idea of a carriage, the strap beneath which has been removed, or of a husband and wife looking on each other with averted eyes. |
| 4 | 有孚，血去惕出，无咎。 | The fourth line, divided, shows its subject possessed of sincerity. The danger of bloodshed is thereby averted, and his (ground for) apprehension dismissed. There will be no mistake. |
| 5 | 有孚攣如，富以其鄰。 | The fifth line, undivided, shows its subject possessed of sincerity, and drawing others to unite with him. Rich in resources, he employs his neighbours (in the same cause with himself). |
English: James Legge (1882), public domain. Chinese: Zhou Yi.
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.