Hexagram 21 line 4: Biting Through, yang in the fourth place

What changes when line 4 moves

Line 4 of Hexagram 21 is yang, a solid line. When it is cast as old yang (a 9) it flips, and the hexagram becomes Hexagram 27, Nourishment: What you feed, and what feeds you: attention to nourishment, of the body, the mind and others.

Read together, the reading moves from Biting Through toward Nourishment. An obstruction that must be bitten through: clear, firm, lawful action against what is in the way. Thunder below, mountain above: the hexagram's shape is an open mouth, two firm lines enclosing four yielding ones. Nourishment asks a simple question that runs in both directions: what are you taking in, and what are you giving out? The tradition's judgement says to pay attention to what you nourish and to what you seek to fill your mouth with, and the image adds care in words and moderation in food. The primary hexagram describes the situation; the changing line is the point of movement in it; the resulting hexagram is where that movement leads. Both hexagrams belong to the reading, and the changing line is the hinge between them.

Hexagram 21 changing to 27 →

Line 4 in context

Love & relationships

Be hard and straight, and do not underestimate the resistance. In love and relationships, Hexagram 21 reads: Something is stuck between you and it will not clear on its own. Name it plainly and deal with it. Firmness here is kindness; the obstruction left in place poisons everything around it.

Career

Be hard and straight, and do not underestimate the resistance. In career, Hexagram 21 reads: An obstacle, a wrong or a person who is blocking things, and the moment to act on it decisively. Be clear about the facts, proportionate in the response, and do not let it drag. Justice, not vengeance.

Money

Be hard and straight, and do not underestimate the resistance. In money, Hexagram 21 reads: A dispute, a debt or a bad arrangement that needs resolving by firm action. Get the facts straight, act through proper channels, and bite through rather than nibbling.

A decision

Be hard and straight, and do not underestimate the resistance. In decisions, Hexagram 21 reads: Decide firmly and act. The reading supports the decisive option, and it conditions it on fairness and clarity: know exactly what the obstruction is before you bite.