Bi · Holding Together

Judgment

吉，原筮，元永贞，无咎。

Good fortune. Enquire again at the origin: if the bond is sublime, lasting and steadfast, there is no blame.

The Chinese above is the received classical text. The English below it is a plain-language rendering written for this site — not a scholarly translation. The classical wording is terse and genuinely open to more than one reading, so where interpretations diverge we follow the mainstream one.

The Image (Da Xiang)

地上有水，比，先王以建万国，亲诸侯。

地面上有水在流动，这是比卦，彼此亲近依附的卦象，象征应以亲比之道团结众人。

The Six Lines

• First line有孚比之，无咎；有孚盈缶，终来有他，吉。初六 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Second line比之自内，贞吉。六二 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Third line比之匪人。六三 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fourth line外比之，贞吉。六四 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fifth line显比，王用三驱，失前禽，邑人不诫，吉。九五 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Top line比之无首，凶。上六 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.

Modern Interpretive Reference

Quality: Auspicious

Tendency: Union, mutual support, and genuine alliance.

Guidance: Choose good company, act with sincerity, and align intentions with others.

This section is editorial reflection written for this site, not classical commentary. Hexagram qualities are not fixed outcomes — context and response matter more than the label. For cultural reflection only; not a basis for any decision.