The wisdom of I Ching

Chapter 25 No.20

bite penalty
wisdom
up and down
Eat it, Henry.Use prison.

"Xu Gua Zhuan" said: "It is impressive and then there is a union, so it is swallowed by it; the one who eats is united." Only when everyone admires can the leadership center be consolidated, centripetal force generated, and unity promoted.

"Bite" means to bite, "吃" means the upper and lower jaws to close together, and "吃味" means to bite the upper and lower jaws to crush the food.The hexagram image of this hexagram is similar to that of the Yi hexagram. It has a wide open mouth, the upper and lower jaws face each other, and the middle is empty; So named.

The divination of this hexagram is prosperous.If everything cannot be successful, there must be obstacles in the middle; this hexagram, if the obstacles in the middle are crushed, of course it will be successful.This meaning symbolizes punishment; punishment is to eradicate the bad elements that constitute obstacles.

In this hexagram, the lower hexagram "Zhen" is thunder, and the upper hexagram "Li" is light. With the power of thunder, it is enough to see the light clearly, which symbolizes the conditions that must be met for punishment. "The Analects of Confucius Zilu" said: "If the punishment is not fair, the people will be at a loss." Therefore, the punishment must be fair.The main body of this hexagram is "six five", the soft line is rigid, and it is in the middle of the outer hexagram, which symbolizes both hardness and softness, and has the conditions of intimidation, discernment, and moderation: therefore, it is conducive to the execution of penalties.

"Yuan" said: "There is something in the mouth, and it said: Eat and eat."Eat and eat and "Heng".Gang mulberry divides, moves and becomes clear, thunder and lightning combine to form a chapter.If you are soft and move upward, even if you are not in the position, you can "use the prison".

The imagination of this hexagram is to bite something in the mouth: so it is called "biting".Because of the bite and chew, it is prosperous.In this posture, Yin and Yang each have three lines, each accounting for half, symbolizing the combination of hardness and softness.The lower hexagram "Zhen" means movement, and the upper hexagram "Li"

It is clear, which symbolizes the power of action and the ability to discern right from wrong.In addition, the lower hexagram "Zhen" is thunder, and the upper hexagram "Li" is fire. Thunder and lightning resonate, producing shock and light, symbolizing the threat and insight of punishment.

Judging from the change of hexagrams, the hexagram Cheating is derived from the change of hexagram Yi.The "six four" soft line of the Yi hexagram rises and reaches the central position of the "five"; at the same time, the rigid line originally at the "five" position descends to the "four" position, and becomes the hexagram.Although the "six fives" of "biting and eating", the position of the yin and yang is not correct, and the position is inappropriate; however, in the upper hexagram, it is still appropriate for the execution of punishment, so it is beneficial.

"Elephant" said: Thunder and lightning, eating and eating; the former kings punished the law with clarity.The upper hexagram "Zhen" is thunder.The next hexagram "Li" is electricity, and thunder and lightning intersect, so it is called "biting".Thunder has the power of intimidation, and electricity produces light; the ancient emperors, following this spirit, made the punishment clear and the law correct.

Ninth day of the ninth day: No blame for the school's sky toe.

"Xiang" said: "The school will destroy the toe", which is impossible. "屦" means shoes, and "school" means shackles. "Qi Xiao" is a torture device worn on the feet, and "Mie" means to hurt. "初" and "上" mostly refer to people who have no status.In this hexagram, "beginning"

And "Shang" refers to the person who is being punished; "Two" to "Five" refer to the person who has a title, that is, the person who executes the punishment. It is said in "Li Si·Qu Li": "Punishment cannot be punished by a doctor." In ancient times, the penalty was only for the common people.

The "ninth day of the first day" is equivalent to the beginning of the punishment. The crime is not serious, and the punishment is light, so only wearing shackles and hurting the toes.Why do you say "no blame" when you are punished? "Xi Ci Zhuan" explained: "Small punishments make people fearful and dare not commit big evils. For small people, this is a blessing." "Xiang Zhuan" said "no way" means no longer breaking the law.

This line shows that small crimes should be punished so as not to spread into big evils.Sixty-two: Eating the skin and destroying the nose, no blame.

"Elephant" says: "Eat the skin and destroy the nose", which means taking advantage of rigidity. "Skin" is soft meat, for example: the sacrifice of putting soft meat in a tripod is called "skin tripod". "Mie" means immersion. The yin position of the "six two" line is upright, in the middle of the lower hexagram, so the judgment is fair, the punishment is appropriate, and dealing with criminals is as easy as biting soft meat.Below the "June [-]nd" is the strong "Ninth Day", if you make a mistake, you will be punished severely.Will not receive the effect of punishment.Therefore, the penalty is as deep as biting one's own nose and sinking into the flesh, and there is nothing wrong with it.

This line illustrates the meaning of heavy punishment.

Six three: eat bacon.In case of poison; small miserliness, no blame.

"Xiang" said: "When encountering poison", the position is not appropriate. "Bacon" is the hard dried meat of small animals and their bones.It is equivalent to today's bacon. "Poison" means strong flavor. "Six Three" Yin Yao is weak, not in the middle position, and Yin Yao Yang is not in the right position, so "Xiang Zhuan" says "inappropriate position".It symbolizes indecision, and the referee cannot proceed fairly and smoothly, just like biting hard and strong dried meat, it is difficult to swallow, and there will be small setbacks.But after being crushed, obstacles can be eliminated; in the end, there will be no faults.

This line shows that punishment must eliminate setbacks.

Ninth Fourth: Eat dry lungs, get golden arrows, benefit hardships, auspicious.

"Xiang" said: "Li Difficult Zhen Ji", Wei Guang also. "Lung" is meat with bones, and "dried lung" is harder than "bacon".

"September [-]th" is close to the throne, which is equivalent to the minister who judges the case; and the hexagram has already passed halfway, the crime has expanded, and severe punishment must be imposed, and of course resistance has also strengthened.So, use the comparison of biting "dry lungs".In such a difficult situation, one must be as strong as metal, upright as an arrow, stick to the right path, and be auspicious in the end. "Nine Fourth" Yang Yao is resolute, and in the Li Gua that symbolizes Ming, it is rigid and clear, so it is inevitable to be too decisive. Therefore, we must be vigilant and not rash. "Nine Fourth" is just in the yin position, and it is easy to be emotional, so it is admonishing to stick to the right way.

In this hexagram, this is the best line, but it is not completely smooth under the condition of "difficulty and chasteness".Therefore, "Xiang Zhuan" said: "Weiguang also."

This line emphasizes the difficulty of punishment, one must be calm and decisive, stick to the right path, and not be rash.

Sixth Five: Eat dry meat, get gold, vigorous, and blameless.

"Xiang" says: "There is no blame for chastity and sternness", which is appropriate. "Dried meat" is relatively soft and easy to bite. The "Sixth Five-Year" yin line is soft, located in the middle of the outer hexagram, and the punishment is moderate, so it is easy to convince people, so it is compared with "dried meat".Also, "yellow" is the color of soil.Earth is in the center of the five elements, and yellow represents the center, symbolizing the mean. "Gold" symbolizes strength and refers to the "Nine Fourth Movement", which means that the ruling can be moderate, and it is assisted by the resolute "September Fourth Movement".However, punishment is a last resort after all; therefore, one must stick to the right path and use punishment carefully so as not to make mistakes.

"Xiang Zhuan" said: This is because it is used properly, so it will be "no blame".This line shows that punishment is a last resort and must be combined with hardness and softness.

Centered and upright.

Last Nine: He Xiao Er, fierce.

"Xiang" said: "He Xiao kills the ear", and the cleverness is unknown. "He" is the same as lotus, which means load. "Mie" means casualties. "Cong" means sharp hearing. "Shangjiu" has reached the limit of punishment, and the crime is extremely serious, just as "Xici Zhuan" said: "The accumulated evil deeds can no longer be concealed; the crimes are so serious that it is impossible to dispel them." Therefore, the shackles on the neck , hurt the ear, and it is dangerous. "Xiang Zhuan" said: This is because he didn't listen to advice at ordinary times, and finally made a big mistake.

This line warns that crimes are bound to be dangerous when they are rampant.Biting hexagrams, explaining the principles of punishment.The rule of law is the foundation of politics. In order to remove obstacles, protect goodness, and establish and maintain order, it is often necessary to resort to criminal measures.Evil must be stopped early to prevent its spread.The principle of heavy punishment should be adopted, with "small punishment and big punishment".Punishment is a last resort, and it will inevitably cause people to hesitate and encounter setbacks. However, punishment cannot be avoided. Therefore, it must be moderate, upright, discerning, decisive, firm and soft, adhere to principles, and execute fairly.Otherwise, once it floods, it will be out of control!

A Comprehensive Overview of Biting Hexagrams
[Meaning] Governance of political affairs - when it is broken, it is broken, don't be disturbed by it.

[Gua Yi] Punishment, gnawing, punishment.

[Introduction] Biting is the meaning of biting.Seeing the shape of this hexagram, the upper and lower yang lines are the jaws, and the yin lines are the teeth, and there is something between the teeth, which hinders the upper and lower bites.Crush obstacles and fit up and down.At the same time, Li in the upper hexagram is the sun and electric light, and Zhen in the lower hexagram is activity, vibration, and thunder, which symbolizes all vigorous power.It means that with vigorous vitality and enthusiasm, you can move forward without obstacles and achieve great results.But the obstacle is strong yang, if you underestimate the enemy, you will encounter unexpected resistance.Not to be played with.Giving up halfway, no compromise or appeasement, the most important thing is to do your best to challenge head-on.

[Heave meaning] The upper hexagram means distance, fire and light, and the lower hexagram means thunder and movement.That is to say, the majesty of thunder is displayed externally, and the sternness of the subtleties is displayed internally, which symbolizes the way of breaking prison and punishment.

[Structural model] The future is dangerous, the leniency is moderate, the righteous way is decisive, the power is not in place, the punishment is appropriate, the first offender is punished, and the bite (bite punishment).

[Yin and Yang] three yin and three yang.

[Position] Yang in the first line is in the position of Yang, yin in the second line is in the position of Yin, and yang in the sixth line is in the position of Yin.Three, the five yin occupy the yang position.

[Status] Judging right from wrong, the righteous way is prosperous.

[Hexagram Image] The lower hexagram is struck by lightning, and the upper hexagram is away from the light of fire.The body image of the hexagram also shows that an inscription representing matter is added between the upper and lower jaws, which becomes the image of biting and chewing in the mouth.

[Thinking mode] The whole hexagram uses the power of thunder to send the upper hexagram away from the fire, thus explaining the problem of punishment and prison:
(1) Prevention of minor incidents and the expansion of crimes, small crimes must be punished, and prevention of problems before they happen.

(2) Resolutely implement penalties.

(3) Improve the criminal law, never stop evil, but be firm and gentle.

[Philosophical Enlightenment] Seek the hexagrams of light through thunder and vibration from the fire.Explain the principles of law enforcement and their significance.

[Decision-making thinking] In the process of governing government affairs, when obstacles are encountered and it is difficult to achieve success, the only thing to do is to take decisive action, correctly use penalties, and eradicate bad elements. Laws must be followed and law enforcement must be strict.Doing good is not enough to make a name for yourself, and not punishing evil is not enough to eradicate it.Therefore, we should not be stubborn and avoid litigation.There is no way to mediate disputes, only to seek help from the law, because fair law enforcement is fundamental to maintaining society.

(End of this chapter)