Bi 水地比
A time to grow close
You are getting close to people sincerely. Approach first and a good connection forms.
What does I Ching hexagram 8 (Holding Together) mean?
Water soaking into earth, drawing everything close. Sincere cooperation and close friendship bring good fortune.
- Holding Together in love
- You grow close and your sincerity gets through. A good match.
- Holding Together at work and with money
- Joining hands with good colleagues brings results. Choose people you can trust.
- Advice
- To grow close, first approach sincerely.
The judgment and the image
Judgment · Holding Together
Neutral“Good fortune. Consult the oracle again at the root: lasting, steady perseverance and no blame. Those who are uneasy come; the latecomer meets misfortune.”
The Image: On the earth there is water: holding together. The ancient kings established states and befriended the lords.
原文 · 吉。原筮元永貞，无咎。不寧方來，後夫凶。 / 地上有水，比；先王以建萬國，親諸侯。
The six lines of hexagram 8
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 · 初六
Very auspicious“Sincerity, and holding together with it: no blame. Sincerity fills the jar, and in the end something else comes: good fortune.”
Real sincerity attracts unexpected blessings. Be genuine from the start.
原文 · 有孚，比之，无咎。有孚盈缶，終來有它，吉。
Line 2 · 六二
Auspicious“Holding together from within; perseverance brings good fortune.”
Build relationships on your own inner stability, not by chasing.
原文 · 比之自內，貞吉。
Line 3 · 六三
Neutral“Holding together with the wrong people.”
Check who you are getting close to. A wrong match hurts.
原文 · 比之匪人。
Line 4 · 六四
Auspicious“Holding together with those outside; perseverance brings good fortune.”
Reaching out to good people beyond your circle works well.
原文 · 外比之，貞吉。
Line 5 · 九五
Auspicious“Open, honest holding together. The king hunts with a drive on three sides and lets the front game escape; the townspeople need no warning: good fortune.”
Be open and don’t force it. Let people come or go freely and trust grows.
原文 · 顯比。王用三敺，失前禽，邑人不誡，吉。
Line 6 · 上六
Misfortune“Holding together without a head: misfortune.”
A relationship that has no leader or beginning goes nowhere. Don’t join too late or without direction.
原文 · 比之无首，凶。
Related hexagrams
- Opposite hexagram (every line flipped): 14. Da You (Great Possession)
- Reversed hexagram (turned upside down): 7. Shi (The Army)
The classical text is in the public domain; the English translations and readings are our own, for reflection and entertainment.