賁Bi · Adornment
In one sentence
A bit of packaging helps, but don't count on packaging to get things done.
A hexagram of adornment. Care over form can make things go a little more smoothly, but it only helps in small ways. Look presentable where it counts, and go ahead with small matters. Don't let surface appeal sway big decisions. In the end, plain and solid is best.
Asking about work, love or money
- Work
- A fitting amount of packaging helps: make your materials a little more presentable, take a little more care over appearances, and small matters will go more smoothly. But it can only help in small ways; what really holds up is the quality of the thing itself. For big decisions, do not go by who presents most beautifully, and do not put all your own effort into the shop front either.
- Love
- Dressing up, a sense of occasion and well-chosen words can make time together more pleasant, and where care is called for you can take care. But do not mistake good-looking for well-suited, and do not rely on decoration to keep a relationship going. If you have just met, look at what is inside the person; if you have been together a long time, the plain and honest side is what most deserves cherishing.
- Money
- You can spend a little on looking presentable, and small expenses or small business moves can go ahead without trouble. But do not spend beyond your means for the sake of face, and do not pay out large sums because something is beautifully packaged. For big money decisions, look at the solid part, not the surface.
This is the hexagram as a whole. If your cast has changing lines, the line text governs; each line's page has its own reading for work, love and money.
The judgment
In plain wordsThings go through. Proper adornment is helpful; going ahead with small things is favorable.
The Tuan commentary
賁，亨；柔來而文剛，故亨。分剛上而文柔，故小利有攸往。剛柔交錯，天文也；文明以止，人文也。觀乎天文，以察時變；觀乎人文，以化成天下。
Bi: "success". The yielding comes and adorns the firm; hence "success". A share of the firm goes up and adorns the yielding; hence "in small things, it is favorable to have somewhere to go". The firm and the yielding cross each other: this is the pattern of heaven. Refined and bright, and coming to a halt: this is the pattern of humankind. Contemplate the pattern of heaven to discern the changes of the time. Contemplate the pattern of humankind to transform and complete all under heaven.
The Tuan (“judgment”) commentary is one of the Ten Wings. It explains the hexagram name and the judgment from the two trigrams and the positions of the lines.
The image
山下有火，賁。君子以明庶政，无敢折獄。
Fire below the mountain: Bi (Adornment). The noble one brings clarity to the everyday affairs of government, but does not presume to decide criminal cases.
The lines
Nine at the beginning
Text賁其趾，舍車而徒。Adorning his feet. He leaves the carriage and walks.In plain wordsAdorning only your own feet: not riding the carriage you shouldn't ride, and walking instead. Stand on your own proper footing and don't borrow a glory that isn't rightfully yours. More on this line →
Six in the second place
Text賁其須。Adorning his beard.In plain wordsWhat is adorned is the beard — and the beard moves with the chin. You have nothing of your own to lean on, so you act together with the firm, upright person above you. More on this line →
Nine in the third place
Text賁如濡如，永貞吉。Adorned and glistening. Staying true for the long run brings good fortune.In plain wordsAdorned until it gleams and glistens. Life is comfortable right now, but don't sink into ease; only staying true for the long run brings good fortune. More on this line →
Six in the fourth place
Text賁如皤如，白馬翰如。匪寇婚媾。Adorned, yet plain white. A white horse, as if on wings. Not a robber, but a suitor.In plain wordsAll in plain white, galloping up on a white horse. The one you want to join is cut off from you by someone in between, and your heart races as if flying. But the one in the way is not a robber; he too has come seeking a match. More on this line →
Six in the fifth place
Text賁于丘園，束帛戔戔。吝，終吉。Adornment in the hills and gardens. The roll of silk is meager. Humiliation, but good fortune in the end.In plain wordsWhat is adorned is the hills and gardens, yet the gift you bring is only a thin roll of silk. Valuing what is fundamental over show, you look shabby and stingy, and it is a little embarrassing; but in ritual, frugal is better than lavish, and in the end there is good fortune. More on this line →
Nine at the top
Text白賁，无咎。White adornment. No blame.In plain wordsAdorning with white, which is to say not adorning. Splendor has run its course and returns to its natural color. No blame. More on this line →
Lines are counted from the bottom. “Nine” is a yang (solid) line, “six” a yin (broken) line. A line applies to your reading only when it is a changing line.
Related hexagrams
Primary, resulting, nuclear, opposite and inverted hexagrams explained →
In the hexagram calendar
In the Tang monk Yixing’s Dayan calendar, Bi belongs to the first pentad of Autumn Equinox, “Thunder withdraws its voice” (September 23 to September 27, 2027).