Usio Inc USIO under CEO Louis Hoch

Usio Inc USIO under CEO Louis Hoch

 

HEXAGRAM 21 – Shih Ho – Biting Through

Above    LI    THE CLINGING, FIRE

Below    CHEN    THE AROIUSING, THUNDER

This hexagram represents an open mouth (cf. hexagram 27)

with an obstruction (in the fourth place) between the teeth.

As a result the lips cannot meet.

To bring them together one must bite energetically through the obstacle.

Since the hexagram is made up of the trigrams for thunder and for lightning,

it indicates how obstacles are forcibly removed in nature.

• Energetic biting through overcomes the obstacle that prevents joining of the lips;
  
• the storm with its thunder and lightning overcomes the disturbing tension in nature.
  
• Recourse to law and penalties overcomes the disturbances of harmonious social life
  

  caused by
  

  • criminals and
    
  • slanderers.
    

The theme of this hexagram is a criminal lawsuit,

in contradistinction to that of Sung, CONFLICT (6), which refers to civil suits.

 

THE JUDGMENT

BITING THROUGH has success.

It is favorable to let justice be administered.

When an obstacle to union arises,

energetic biting through brings success.

This is true in all situations.

Whenever unity cannot be established,

the obstruction is due to a talebearer and traitor who is interfering and blocking the way.

To prevent permanent injury,

vigorous measures must be taken at once.

Deliberate obstruction of this sort does not vanish of its own accord.

Judgment and punishment are required to deter or obviate it.

However,

it is important to proceed in the right way.

The hexagram combines

• Li, clarity, and
  
• Chen, excitement.
  

• Li is yielding,
  
• Chen is hard.
  

Unqualified hardness and excitement

would be too violent in meting out punishment;

unqualified clarity and gentleness

would be too weak.

The two together create the just measure.

It is of moment that

• the man who makes the decisions (represented by the fifth line) is gentle by nature,
  

while

• he commands respect by his conduct in his position.
  

 

THE IMAGE

Thunder and lightning: The image Of BITING THROUGH.

Thus

the kings of former times

made firm the laws

Through clearly defined penalties.

Penalties are the individual applications of the law.

The laws specify the penalties.

• Clarity prevails when mild and severe penalties are clearly differentiated,
  
• according to the nature of the crimes.
  
  • This is symbolized by the clarity of lightning.
    
• The law is strengthened by a just application of penalties.
  
  • This is symbolized by the terror of thunder.
    

This clarity and severity have the effect of instilling respect;

it is not that the penalties are ends in themselves.

• The obstructions in the social life of man increase when there is
  
  • lack of clarity in the penal codes and
    
  • slackness in executing them.
    
• The only way to strengthen the law is
  
  • to make it clear and
    
  • to make penalties certain and swift.
    

 

THE LINES:

 

Nine at the beginning means:

His feet are fastened in the stocks,

So that his toes disappear.

No blame.

If a sentence is imposed the first time a man attempts to do wrong,

the penalty is a mild one.

Only the toes are put in the stocks.

This prevents him from sinning further and

thus he becomes free of blame.

It is a warning to halt in time on the path of evil.

 

Six in the third place means:

• Bites on old dried meat
  

And

• strikes on something poisonous.
  

Slight humiliation.

No blame.

Punishment is to be carried out by

someone who lacks the power and authority to do so.

Therefore the culprits do not submit.

The matter at issue

• is an old one – as symbolized by salted game – and
  
• in dealing with it difficulties arise.
  

This old meat is spoiled:

• by taking up the problem the punisher arouses poisonous hatred against himself, and
  
• in this way is put in a somewhat humiliating position.
  

But since punishment was required by the time,

he remains free of blame.

 

Nine at the top means:

His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue,

So that his ears disappear.

Misfortune.

In contrast to the first line,

this line refers to a man who is incorrigible.

• His punishment is the wooden cangue, and
  
• his ears disappear under it-that is to say, he is deaf to warnings.
  

This obstinacy leads to misfortune.2

1. Apart from the meaning of the hexagram as a whole, the single lines are explained as follows: the persons represented by the first and the top line suffer punishment, the others inflict it (see the corresponding lines in hexagram 4, Meng, YOUTHFUL FOLLY).

2.    It should be noted here that there is an alternative interpretation of this hexagram, based on the idea, “Above, light (the sun); below, movement.”

in this interpretation

• the hexagram symbolizes a market below, full of movement, while the sun is shining in the sky above.
  
• The allusion to meat suggests that it is a food market.
  
• Gold and arrows are articles of trade.
  
• The disappearance of the nose means the vanishing of smell, that is, the person in question is not covetous.
  
• The idea of poison points to the dangers of wealth,
  
• and so on throughout.
  

Confucius says in regard to the nine at the beginning in this hexagram:

“The inferior man

• is not ashamed of unkindness and
  
• does not shrink from injustice.
  
• If no advantage beckons
  
  • he makes no effort.
    
• If he is not intimidated
  
  • he does not improve himself, but
    
• if he is made to behave correctly in small matters
  
  • he is careful in large ones.
    

This is fortunate for the inferior man.”

On the subject of the nine at the top Confucius says:

• “If good does not accumulate,
  
  • it is not enough to make a name for a man.
    
• If evil does not accumulate,
  
  • it is not strong enough to destroy a man.
    

Therefore

the inferior man thinks to himself,

• ‘Goodness in small things has no value,’
  
  • and so neglects it.
    
• He thinks, ‘Small sins do no harm,’
  
  • and so does not give them up.
    

Thus

• his sins accumulate until they can no longer be covered up, and
  
• his guilt becomes so great that it can no longer be wiped out.”
  

 

 

MOVING HEXAGRAM

 

 

HEXAGRAM 62 – Hsiao Kuo – Preponderance of the Small

Above    CHEN     THE AROUSING, THUNDER

Below    KEN    KEEPING STILL, MOUNTAIN

While in the hexagram Ta Kuo, PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT (28),

the strong lines

• preponderate and
  
• are within inclosed between weak lines at the
  
  • top and
    
  • bottom,
    

the present hexagram

• has weak lines preponderating,
  

though here again

• they are on the outside,
  
• the strong lines being within.
  

This indeed is the basis of

the exceptional situation indicated by the hexagram.

When

strong lines are outside,

we have the hexagram

• I, PROVIDING NOURISHMENT (27), or
  
• Chung Fu, INNER TRUTH (61);
  

neither represents an exceptional state.

When

• strong elements within preponderate,
  
• they necessarily enforce their will.
  

This creates struggle and exceptional conditions in general.

But

in the present hexagram

it is the weak element that perforce must mediate with the outside world.

If

• a man occupies a position of authority for which
  
• he is by nature really inadequate,
  

extraordinary prudence is necessary.

 

THE JUDGMENT

PREPONDERANCE OF THE SMALL.

Success.

Perseverance furthers.

• Small things may be done;
  
• great things should not be done.
  

The flying bird brings the message:

• It is not well to strive upward,
  
• It is well to remain below.
  

Great good fortune.

• Exceptional modesty and
  
• conscientiousness
  

are sure to be rewarded with success;

however,

if a man is not to throw himself away,

it is important that they should

• not become empty form and subservience
  
• but be combined always with a correct dignity in personal behavior.
  

We must understand the demands of the time

in order to find the necessary offset for its

• deficiencies and
  
• damages.
  

In any event

• we must not count on great success,
  
• since the requisite strength is lacking.
  

In this lies the importance of the message that

one should

• not strive after lofty things
  

but

• hold to lowly things.
  

The structure of the hexagram gives rise to the idea that

this message is brought by a bird.

In Ta Kuo, PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT (28),

• the four strong, heavy lines within,
  
• supported only by two weak lines without,
  

give the image of a sagging ridgepole.

Here

• the supporting weak lines are both
  
  • outside and
    
  • preponderant;
    

this gives the image of a soaring bird.

But

• a bird should not try to surpass itself and fly into the sun;
  
• it should descend to the earth, where its nest is.
  

In this way

• it gives the message conveyed by the hexagram.
  

 

THE IMAGE

Thunder on the mountain: The image of PREPONDERANCE OF THE SMALL.

Thus

• in his conduct the superior man gives preponderance to reverence.
  
• In bereavement be gives preponderance to grief.
  
• In his expenditures he gives preponderance to thrift.
  

• Thunder on the mountain is different from
  
• thunder on the plain.
  

In the mountains,

• thunder seems much nearer;
  

outside the mountains,

• it is less audible than the thunder of an ordinary storm.
  

Thus

the superior man derives an imperative from this image:

he must always fix his eyes

• more closely and
  
• more directly
  

on duty

than does the ordinary man,

even though this might make his behavior seem petty to the outside world.

He is exceptionally conscientious in his actions.

In bereavement

• emotion means more to him than ceremoniousness.
  

In all his personal expenditures

• he is extremely simple and unpretentious.
  

In comparison with the man of the masses,

• all this makes him stand out as exceptional.
  

But

the essential significance of his attitude lies in the fact that

in external matters

• he is on the side of the lowly.
  

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