Bi 山火賁
A good time to polish
Improving your look makes a good impression, but substance has to back it for it to last.
What does I Ching hexagram 22 (Grace) mean?
Fire lighting the foot of a mountain: adornment and beauty. Polishing the surface is fine, but substance has to be the base.
- Grace in love
- Outward charm is strong, but sincerity must be underneath for it to last.
- Grace at work and with money
- Refine what is seen, but don’t lose the essence.
- Advice
- Decoration should only support the substance.
The judgment and the image
Judgment · Grace
Auspicious“Success. A little is favorable for undertaking something.”
The Image: Fire at the foot of the mountain: grace. The noble person clarifies the many affairs of government and does not dare to decide lawsuits quickly.
原文 · 亨。小利有攸往。 / 山下有火，賁；君子以明庶政，无敢折獄。
The six lines of hexagram 22
Lines are read from the bottom up. When you cast a reading and a line is changing, its statement becomes the key message.
Line 1 · 初九
Neutral“Adorning the toes, abandoning the carriage and walking.”
Choosing integrity over comfort. You go on foot but your head is up.
原文 · 賁其趾，舍車而徒。
Line 2 · 六二
Neutral“Adorning the beard.”
Decoration follows what it adorns. Style should serve the real person.
原文 · 賁其須。
Line 3 · 九三
Auspicious“Graceful and glossy; lasting perseverance brings good fortune.”
A moment of beauty and ease. Keep steady and you stay lucky.
原文 · 賁如濡如，永貞吉。
Line 4 · 六四
Neutral“Grace or simplicity? A white horse flies like wings; not a robber, but a suitor.”
You hesitate between show and simplicity. Someone approaches with honest intentions.
原文 · 賁如皤如，白馬翰如，匪寇婚媾。
Line 5 · 六五
No blame“Adorning the hills and gardens; the bundle of silk is small. Humiliation, but good fortune in the end.”
A modest gift that is meant sincerely; it looks poor but turns out well.
原文 · 賁於丘園，束帛戔戔，吝，終吉。
Line 6 · 上九
No blame“Plain white grace: no blame.”
The highest beauty is simple. Dropping the decoration is the final grace.
原文 · 白賁，无咎。
Related hexagrams
- Opposite hexagram (every line flipped): 47. Kun (Oppression)
- Reversed hexagram (turned upside down): 21. Shi He (Biting Through)
The classical text is in the public domain; the English translations and readings are our own, for reflection and entertainment.