Hexagram Shihe (Biting Through): When It’s Time to Cut Ties, Don’t Delay — Some Things Get Stuck, and They’ll Never Close Until You Bite Through

The two characters making up "Shi He" (Biting Through) paint a vivid mental image.

Shi means to bite, and he means to close. When something is stuck in your mouth, you have to bite through it first before your upper and lower teeth can meet.

The *I Ching (Book of Changes)* uses this imagery to convey a simple, down-to-earth truth: some obstacles cannot be circumvented.

You can try not biting and just hold it in your mouth. But the result of that is you keep your mouth open the whole time, unable to swallow anything or speak a word.

The Hexagram Judgment of the Biting Through hexagram is just five characters: "亨，利用狱。" (Success / Penetrating; it furthers to use prisons and litigation.)

Heng means smooth passage. "Li Yong Yu" (it furthers to use prisons) means this hexagram is suited for settling legal cases and imposing penalties.

Among the 64 Hexagrams of the *I Ching*, few directly mention "prisons" or legal judgment. Biting Through is one of them.

Why? Because the core of this hexagram is "resolute judgment" — sorting out what must be clarified, drawing lines that must be drawn, and imposing penalties that must be imposed.

This is not cruelty; it is what keeps a system running.

The most draining thing in any organization is never the bad deed itself, but the fact that no one addresses the bad deed.

Someone crosses a line, and no one says a word. Someone takes unfair advantage, and everyone pretends not to see. Someone constantly drags the team down, and no one has the heart to speak up.

On the surface, everyone gets along nicely. In reality, every single person is paying the price for this "silence."

The Biting Through hexagram is the remedy for this problem.

Its six Yao (Lines) all describe the difficulties of "biting through."

初九（Nine at the Beginning）: "屦校灭趾，无咎" (Feet in stocks, toes obscured — no blame) — This refers to minor punishment. Making a small mistake and being reminded or restrained early on is actually a good thing. Hence, No blame.

六二（Six in the Second Place）: "噬肤灭鼻，无咎" (Biting soft flesh, nose buried in it — no blame) — This means the punishment is a bit excessive, but it is understandable. Still, No blame.

六三（Six in the Third Place）: "噬腊肉遇毒，小吝无咎" (Biting cured meat and encountering poison — small humiliation, no blame) — This refers to facing pushback when dealing with long-standing problems. There is minor embarrassment, but no major fault.

九四（Nine in the Fourth Place）: "噬乾胏得金矢，利艰贞吉" (Biting dried meat on the bone, finding a metal arrow — it furthers to persevere through hardship, good fortune) — This is the most fascinating line: when you are tackling a tough issue, you unexpectedly gain something valuable (the truth, evidence, a lesson) in the process. But the condition is "persevering through hardship" — staying upright and correct amid difficulties.

六五（Six in the Fifth Place）: "噬乾肉得黄金，贞厉无咎" (Biting dried meat, finding yellow gold — perseverance in danger, no blame) — Those in higher positions gain greater rewards, but "perseverance in danger" means they must stay vigilant. The higher your position, the easier it is to let personal bias creep into your decisions.

上九（Nine at the Top）: "何校灭耳，凶" (Carrying a yoke that covers the ears — misfortune) — This line is the opposite of the rest of Biting Through.

The first five lines all talk about "making a decision when the time comes." The top line talks about "refusing to listen when you should."

With your ears covered, you cannot take any advice, and you end up facing the harshest punishment. Misfortune.

The real challenge of Biting Through is not "daring to make a call," but "making the right call."

Judge too early, and you wrong an innocent person. Judge too late, and more people get hurt. Punish too lightly, and it has no effect. Punish too harshly, and you create a bitter enemy.

That is why the *I Ching* lays out six different scenarios across the six lines: minor punishment for small mistakes, a slightly harsh penalty is acceptable, dealing with old grievances will trigger pushback, unexpected gains come amid hardship, higher positions demand greater vigilance, and refusing to listen leads to ruin.

These six scenarios actually form the full spectrum of difficulties involved in "making a resolute decision."

How do you apply this hexagram?

When you have a long-overdue issue you have been putting off, ask yourself first: am I waiting for a better time, or am I running away?

If you are running away, every day you delay adds to the cost.

When dealing with someone who repeatedly crosses boundaries, ask yourself first: am I avoiding a direct conversation by telling myself "I'll give them one more chance"?

Some relationships are not sustained by endurance — they are sustained by speaking clearly and setting things straight.

When faced with a decision you cannot avoid, ask yourself first: am I waiting for a solution where "I won't have to face any consequences"?

Such a solution usually does not exist.

The wisdom of the Biting Through hexagram is not about teaching you to be tough. It is about helping you realize one thing: holding that stuck thing in your mouth hurts more than biting through it.

Biting through hurts for a moment. Holding it in hurts for a long time.

And while you hold it in, you cannot eat anything at all.

When something is stuck there, you will never close your mouth fully until you bite through it.