Line 1 Yang
Adorn the feet and leave the carriage to walk: choose dignity over display.
← The 64 hexagrams
HEXAGRAM 22 · Bì
Grace and Simplicity
Beauty can illuminate substance without taking its place.
☶ Above: Gen · Mountain☲ Below: Li · Fire
Meaning
Fire beneath the mountain brings its contours into view. Form and ceremony have their place but cannot decide serious matters alone; simplicity carries its own grace.
FOR REFLECTION
If the decoration were removed, would what you mean to express still stand?
The six lines
Read from line 1 at the bottom to line 6 at the top. These are paraphrases, not verbatim translations.
Line 2 Yin
Adorning the beard: an embellishment moves with the substance it belongs to.
Line 3 Yang
Rich, glistening beauty needs lasting integrity beyond its immediate attraction.
Line 4 Yin
White adornment and a swift white horse: an approaching partner may be mistaken for a raider.
Line 5 Yin
In a hillside garden, a modest bundle of silk feels meager yet carries sincerity.
Line 6 Yang
Plain white grace: simplicity needs no further embellishment.
References
Classical Zhouyi · 賁James Legge, The Yî King (1882), Sacred Books of the East XVI, hexagram 22
Editorial policy & bibliography →For reference and reflection. This commentary makes no certain claim about the future.