Hexagram 21
Decisive Break
shìkè
Reading it as a decision
Fire and thunder combine in Shìkè, an image the tradition reads as teeth closing on something and breaking it apart — this hexagram shows up around obstacles that won't dissolve on their own and need to be actively cleared. The judgment pairs success with a pointed reference to the courts: this is about applying deliberate judgment to something blocking the way, not waiting for it to resolve itself. It fits a decision where the obstruction is identifiable and the main question is whether to act on it directly.
The read on staying put with the obstacle unresolved is unfavorable — this tends to be a position better left than lived in, and the classical line texts lean cautionary, underscoring that letting the blockage sit doesn't improve it. The implication is to bite through cleanly: name the obstruction, apply the decisive move, and move past it rather than negotiating with it indefinitely.
The classical text
Judgment (卦辭)
噬嗑，亨。利用獄。
Biting through brings success; it is fitting for settling disputes and administering punishment.
The six lines (爻辭)
初九：履校滅趾，無咎。
Feet placed in the stocks, toes covered — an early check that brings no lasting fault.
六二：噬膚滅鼻，無咎。
Biting into soft flesh so deep it covers the nose, yet no fault in it.
六三：噬臘肉，遇毒。小吝，無咎。
Biting into dried meat and striking something tainted brings minor trouble, but no lasting fault.
九四：噬乾胏，得金矢，利艱貞，吉。
Gnawing dry meat on the bone, one finds a bronze arrowhead inside — persisting through hardship brings good fortune.
六五：噬乾肉，得黃金，貞厲，無咎。
Biting dried meat, one finds gold within — cautious firmness amid danger, yet no fault.
上九：何校滅耳，凶。
A heavy wooden collar clamped so high it covers the ears — misfortune.
This is a general reference, not a live reading — it doesn't know your situation. iYarrow casts a fresh hexagram for the actual question you're weighing.
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