| Name | 比 Bǐ, “Holding Together” |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☵ 坎 Water: danger and depth |
| Lower trigram | ☷ 坤 Earth: receptivity and support |
The Judgment
吉。原筮，元永贞，无咎。不宁方来，后夫凶。
Fortune. Inquire of the oracle — supreme, lasting, true. No blame. The unsettled come; the latecomer meets misfortune.
Find your circle. Check that it's built on something real. Show up early — those who hesitate get locked out.
The Image
地上有水，比；先王以建万国，亲诸侯。
Water upon the earth — Holding Together. The ancient kings founded nations and drew the lords close.
Lasting bonds are built like watering a field — slow, deliberate, with intention.
The six lines
If a line changes in your cast, read its text below. Lines are numbered from the bottom.
Line 1 · first (bottom) · Yin
有孚比之，无咎。有孚盈缶，终来有它吉。
Hold together with sincerity. No blame. Sincerity overflowing — unexpected fortune comes.
Show up real, no performance. Good things you didn't plan for start arriving.
Line 2 · second · Yin
比之自内，贞吉。
Hold together from within. Stay true — fortune.
Connect from your actual self, not the curated version. That's what makes it last.
Line 3 · third · Yin
比之匪人。
Holding together with the wrong people.
Look around the table. If these aren't your people, no amount of effort will fix it.
Line 4 · fourth · Yin
外比之，贞吉。
Hold together outwardly. Stay true — fortune.
It's time to publicly stand with your people. Quiet loyalty isn't enough anymore.
Line 5 · fifth · Yang
显比，王用三驱，失前禽，邑人不诫，吉。
Holding together openly. The king hunts with three drives, lets the game ahead escape. The townspeople feel no alarm. Fortune.
Lead with an open hand. Let people stay or go freely — the ones who choose you mean it.
Line 6 · top · Yin
比之无首，凶。
Holding together without a head. Misfortune.
A group with no center falls apart. Pick the leader, or be the leader. Don't drift.
Related hexagrams
- Inverted (turned upside down): Hexagram 7, The Army
- Complement (every line reversed): Hexagram 14, Great Possession