Six Doors · No. 8
第8卦 比 Bǐ · Holding Together
Essence: Union is forming; commit early and choose well.
I
Judgment
People are gathering, and the window for alliance is open. First ask whether you have what union requires—legitimacy, staying power, constancy. Those who hesitate too long before committing arrive to find no place left.
II
Trigrams
Upper
坎 Water
Lower
坤 Earth
III
The lines
- Line 1Begin the bond with unadorned sincerity; a plain vessel filled to the brim draws unexpected good.
- Line 2Ally from inner conviction, not outward convenience, and the bond holds.
- Line 3You are leaning on the wrong people; recognize it before the association shapes you.
- Line 4Reaching outward, openly, toward the genuinely worthy is the right allegiance here.
- Line 5True leadership binds like the royal hunt: three sides driven, one left open—those who stay, stay freely.
- Line 6A union that never found its head or its founding moment has nowhere to go but apart.
IV
All the doors
Every single-step transition available from where you stand.
- Line 13 屯 · Difficulty at the Beginning
Birth pangs of a venture; gather help and build order.
- Line 229 坎 · The Abyss
Abyss upon abyss; sincerity flows where force sinks.
- Line 339 蹇 · Obstruction
Blocked ahead; turn back and grow where you stand.
- Line 445 萃 · Gathering
People gather around a true center; prepare for what crowds bring.
- Line 52 坤 · The Receptive
Strength through receiving; carry everything by yielding.
- Line 620 观 · Contemplation
Hands washed, offering withheld; seeing comes first.
V