Dried Gristly Meat

Feet in the Stocks

"His feet are fastened in the stocks, hiding his toes. No blame."

Hexagram 21 line 1 means a fault has been caught at its very first step, and the restriction you feel is the cheapest lesson you will ever be offered. This is correction as mercy, not punishment. Take the check to your movement, learn from it now, and walk on — before a small slip hardens into a habit.

Biting Through Tender Meat

"Biting through tender flesh, so deep the nose disappears. No blame."

Hexagram 21 line 2 means the wrong in front of you is obvious and the fix is easy — the meat is tender, the bite goes straight in. That is not the risk. The risk is the force behind it: righteous anger driving your correction far deeper than the case requires. Deal with the fault, but keep your response proportionate.

Biting on Old Dried Meat

"Biting on old dried meat and striking something poisonous. Slight humiliation. No blame."

Hexagram 21 line 3 means you are trying to correct an old, hardened wrong — and it fights back with poison. This is a grievance long preserved, one where your own footing is shaky. Biting down brings a bitter taste and endless resistance. The counsel is to stop chewing: seek release, not retribution, and swallow the small humiliation of letting go.

Yellow Gold

"Biting on dried lean meat, one receives yellow gold. Steadfastly aware of danger. No blame."

Hexagram 21 line 5 means the case is clear and the authority to judge is yours — so judge like gold: true, impartial, unbending. Yellow is the colour of the middle way; gold is what does not corrode. Stay alert to the danger, resist premature leniency, help only those correcting themselves, and the verdict stands without blame.

The Cangue

"His neck is locked in the wooden cangue, hiding his ears. Misfortune."

Hexagram 21 line 6 is the dark verdict of the hexagram: misfortune. Every warning was ignored until the consequences closed around the neck. The ears vanish because the refusal to hear has finally earned its own deafness. If this is you, there is still an exit — humble, gradual, one step back toward the right path. If it is another, believe the pattern.

Something stands between you — address it cleanly and completely.

An obstacle must be dealt with — decisively, fairly, no cruelty.

An obstacle blocks the venture — cut through it cleanly and fairly.

Something sits between you — address it cleanly, fairly, and stop.

Deal with the money blockage decisively — fairly, cleanly, no delay.

Something blocks you from within — bite through it cleanly.

An obstacle blocks progress — bite through it decisively and cleanly.

Something blocks the work — cut through it cleanly and completely.

There's an obstacle — bite through it cleanly, then stop.

An obstacle blocks alignment — bite through it cleanly, justly, without hatred.

Something's come between you — address it cleanly, then stop.

Something blocks the change — bite through it cleanly and completely.