I Ching reading: Shihe (Biting Through) changing to Yi (Nourishment)
Shihe: Nine in the fourth place
Biting dried meat on the bone, finding a metal arrowhead. It is favorable to stay true through hardship. Good fortune.
噬乾胏，得金矢。利艱貞，吉。
吉Favorable
Reading
Yes, go ahead.Something is stuck in the middle, and you have to bite through it.
Governing text · Shihe: Nine in the fourth place
In plain wordsGnawing dried meat on the bone and finding a bronze arrowhead. The opponent is tough, but you handle it with the right balance of firmness and gentleness. Treat it as a hard task and keep to the right course, and there is good fortune.
- Now
- Like a hard object in the mouth that keeps the teeth from meeting: things are jammed by some obstacle, some person or some problem.
- The key
- Only one line is changing: Nine in the fourth place. The answer is in that line. This text describes a good outcome. Act the way it says and the matter can succeed. The promise has a condition: keep to the right course.
- Where it is heading
- Things are moving toward Yi (Nourishment): The key question: what are you using to nourish yourself, and to nourish others?
- What to do
- Deal with it head-on and clear the obstacle decisively. Be clear about right and wrong; what should go by the rules, handle by the rules. No vagueness, no stalling.
Read more closely
Which text applies
One changing line: read that line of the primary hexagram.
Your six throws, bottom to top: 1: 7 yang · 2: 8 yin · 3: 8 yin · 4: 9 yang (changing) · 5: 8 yin · 6: 7 yang
Line position
Not in its proper place · not answered by the first line
Fourth place: next to the ruler, a place of caution. Serve those above with care.
Verdict words in the text
Nuclear hexagram · Jian (Obstruction)
The road ahead is very hard. Do not force your way forward yet.
The nuclear hexagram is formed from the four inner lines. It shows what is going on inside the situation.
Full texts
One who truly knows the Changes does not need to divine. The text is for reflection; what you do is up to you.