易經 · I Ching · #22
䷕
Bi · Adorning · Grace
賁
Presentation and grace matter. Look at what the surface shows and what it may be covering.
The Judgment
Beauty and form help in small matters. Do not mistake the surface for the substance.
The Image
Fire at the foot of the mountain, so the wise person handles daily affairs with care and avoids deciding great disputes by show.
How to use it
Presentation matters, but look at what is underneath. Let form serve substance.
Structure
Six lines: 艮 Mountain (Gen) above and 離 Fire (Li) below. Lines are read from the bottom up.
Related hexagrams
- ䷮ 47. Confining · Oppression — Opposite: every line reversed
- ䷔ 21. Gnawing Bite · Biting Through — Reversed: the same lines turned upside down
- ䷧ 40. Taking-Apart · Deliverance — Inner (nuclear): the hidden structure formed by lines 2 to 5
Each BaZi pillar maps to a hexagram through its stem and branch. Coin casting uses a different method — both are valid paths into the Book of Changes. The I Ching is a traditional wisdom text. It describes the character of a moment, not a fixed outcome.