I Ching hexagram 22

I Ching hexagram 22: Grace

贲 bì · a mountain above fire

Fire at the foot of a mountain lights it beautifully: grace and adornment matter, but only as a finish on substance.

The judgment: Success. A little benefit in going ahead.
"Pî indicates that there should be free course (in what it denotes). There will be little advantage (however) if it be allowed to advance (and take the lead)."
James Legge's translation, 1882
What it says to you: A fire burns at the foot of a mountain and lights up the slopes: the rocks and trees were there already, the fire only shows them off. That is grace, adornment, the beauty that sits on top of substance. The judgment gives it a fair but modest verdict. Success, and a little benefit in going ahead. Ornament can carry small affairs; it cannot carry the big ones. The lines follow the decoration up the body, feet, beard, a glossy sheen, then turn the other way, toward a meager roll of silk and finally plain white. The wisest grace is the simplest. So polish what you are presenting, by all means: the pitch, the outfit, the wedding plans. Then check that something solid stands under it, and when in doubt, take one ornament away.

Matter by matter

Love: Charm and courtship gestures help, but sincerity counts more. A simple, honest offer wins in the end.
Work: Presentation helps with small tasks. For big decisions, substance and plain facts must lead.
Money: Spend modestly on appearances. Looking prosperous is different from being so; keep it simple.
A yes or no question: Yes, with a condition. Fine for a small step; for anything major, look past the surface first.

The six lines of Grace

A hexagram is built from the bottom up, so the first line is the lowest. You read a line's text only when your cast made it a moving line.

Bottom line, solid

Adorning his feet. He leaves the carriage and walks.

You can do without the fancy ride. Your own two feet, and your own honest effort, are the best decoration right now. Turn down the shortcut or perk that would compromise you.
Second line, broken

Adorning his beard.

A beard moves only with the chin. Your polish depends on something more solid that you are attached to. Make sure what you are adorning is worth it, and go where the substance goes.
Third line, solid

Adorned and glossy, as if moistened. Lasting steadiness brings good fortune.

Things look lovely and you are enjoying favor, maybe a little too comfortably. The shine will not last on its own. Stay steady and honest for the long run, and the good fortune holds.
Fourth line, broken

Adorned, yet all in white. A white horse comes as if on wings. Not a raider: a suitor seeking marriage.

You chose simplicity over show, and now something approaches fast. It looks alarming, but it is a friendly offer, a proposal rather than a threat. Look again before you defend yourself.
Fifth line, broken

Adorning a garden on the hill. The roll of silk is meager. Embarrassing, yet good fortune in the end.

Your gift or gesture feels too small, and you worry it looks cheap. A sincere small offering beats an extravagant empty one. The embarrassment passes; the good outcome stays with you.
Top line, solid

Plain white as the only ornament. No harm.

At the end of all the decoration, simplicity wins. Strip things back to what is true and unadorned. You lose nothing by being plain, and people will trust what they see.

About hexagram 22

What does I Ching hexagram 22 mean?

Hexagram 22, Grace, puts a mountain above fire. Fire at the foot of a mountain lights it beautifully: grace and adornment matter, but only as a finish on substance. Its judgment reads: Success. A little benefit in going ahead.

Is hexagram 22 a yes or a no?

Yes, with a condition. Fine for a small step; for anything major, look past the surface first.

What does hexagram 22 mean for love?

Charm and courtship gestures help, but sincerity counts more. A simple, honest offer wins in the end.

What does hexagram 22 mean for work?

Presentation helps with small tasks. For big decisions, substance and plain facts must lead.

Cast the coins for a new question , or for a straight yes or no, throw the moon blocks

The I Ching reads a moment. For the years of your own life, cast your birth chart; on your chart page you can ask three questions of your own, answered against it, for $2.99.

The judgment and lines are rendered from the Chinese text; the quoted judgment is Legge's 1882 translation, and every other English line is Jade Almanac's own. A cast is a prompt for reflection, not advice about health, money or the law.