Hexagram 8: 比

bǐ — belonging, affiliation, association; join, unite

Upper TrigramWater
Lower TrigramEarth

Judgment

比bǐbelonging, affiliation, association; join, unite
吉jípromising, fortunate, hopeful, auspicious
原yuánif, for a, an, the early, first, original, natural
筮shìdivining, consultation, oracle, inquiry
元yuánfirst-rate, supreme, fundamental, essential
永yǒnglasting, enduring, sustained, continued
貞zhēnpersistence, resolve, loyalty, commitment
無wúno; not; nothing; without, with no
咎jiùblame; wrong; a mistake, an error
不bùlacking, wanting; without, with no; if less
寧níngpeace, tranquility, serenity, rest, settledness
方fāngdirectly, promptly, honestly, squarely
來láiapproach, come forward
後hòuit is the tardy, late; to come, in coming
夫fūwho; ones who; are the ones
凶xiōngis, are unhappy, unfortunate, unlucky

Holding Together brings good fortune. Inquire of the oracle once again whether you possess sublimity, constancy, and perseverance. Those who are uncertain gradually join. Whoever comes too late meets with misfortune. Can you actually be the center others unite around? Are you equal to it? If not, join someone else's group. But join early—latecomers find the door locked.

Image

地dìthe earth, land, ground
上shàngover, above, atop, across
有yǒuis, are, there is
水shuǐthe water
比bǐbelonging
先xiānthe ancient, early, original, former, founding
王wángsovereigns, kings, rulers, fathers
以yǐaccordingly, therefore, thus
建jiànorganized, established, set up, confirmed
萬wànthe myriad, many, numerous
國guórealms, domains, dominions, states
親qīnto relate, affiliate, make relatives/kinsmen of
諸zhūevery; all of the; the many, numerous
侯hóuchief, leader, noble, delegate, governor

On the earth is water: the image of Holding Together. Thus the kings of antiquity bestowed the different states as fiefs and cultivated friendly relations with the feudal lords. Water fills every empty place, clings to earth. The five teenagers find common ground by being honest about their fears and failures. This creates the bond.

Digital Artifact

The Breakfast Club's Detention Union

John Hughes / Universal (1985)

Five high school students, nothing in common except Saturday detention, gradually discover they're not as different as they thought. The brain, the athlete, the basket case, the princess, the criminal—categories dissolve. They hold together not because they're forced to, but because they find something genuine connecting them. Water (above, flowing, seeking its level) over Earth (below, receptive, yielding)—water finds all the low places and fills them, creating union. There's one strong line in the center (Bender, maybe, or the group consciousness they form) that becomes the rallying point. They're not trying to become best friends. They're just discovering they can see each other as human. By the end they've formed a temporary bond that none of them sought but all of them needed. 'We're all pretty bizarre. Some of us are just better at hiding it.' That's the recognition that makes holding together possible.

Historical Context

Period
Zhou Dynasty
Oracle Bone Etymology
Water (☵) above, flowing together. Earth (☷) below, receptive and supportive. All yielding lines except the fifth—the strong center that provides the rallying point.
Traditional Use
Wilhelm describes waters flowing together toward the ocean. Union requires a center—someone or something that others can unite around.

Lines

Line 1: 有孚比之無咎有孚盈缶終來有他吉

有yǒuhave, find; remember to
孚fútrue, sincere; confidence; trust
比bǐin belonging, joining, uniting with, to
之zhīthis, them, these
無wúno, not a; nothing
咎jiùerror, mistakes; wrong; make mistake
有yǒubeing, holding, staying; having, finding
孚fútrue, sincere, confident, assured; truth
盈yíngreplenishes, fills up, overflows, more than fills
缶fǒuthe, this earthen, plain clay vessel, bowl
終zhōngthe, this end, outcome, completion, whole
來láiwill come, arrive, appear, approach
有yǒuholding, having, with; to hold, have
他tāadditional, added, extra, even more, other
吉jípromise, hope, good luck, happiness

Line 2: 比之自內貞吉

比bǐbelong, affiliate, associate, join with
之zhīthis, them, these, such
自zìcomes from; begins, starts, originates from
內nèiwithin, inside
貞zhēnpersistence, resolve, loyalty, commitment
吉jípromising, auspicious, hopeful

Line 3: 比之匪人

比bǐbelong, affiliate, associate, join with, to
之zhīthis, them, these, such
匪fěian inferior, bad, negative, wrong
人rénpeople, group; person, individual, crowd

Line 4: 外比之貞吉

外wàioutward, external, openly, on the outside
比bǐbelong, affiliate, associate, joining with
之zhīthis, them, these
貞zhēnpersistence, resolve, loyalty, commitment
吉jípromising, auspicious, hopeful

Line 5: 顯比王用三驅失前禽邑人不誡吉

顯xiǎnevident, exemplified, illustrated, manifest
比bǐbelonging, affiliation, association
王wángthe sovereign, ruler, king
用yòngemploys, uses, makes use of, works with
三sānonly three
驅qūmounted game flushers, chasers, drivers
失shīforgoing, giving up, letting go of
前qiánthe leading, advance, foremost, forward/first
禽qínof the quarry, game, prey; birds, animals
邑yìthe, his town's, community's, district's
人rénpeople, population, inhabitants, citizens
不bùare not, will not be; free of, from; -ion
誡jiècoerced, enjoined, conscripted, compelled
吉jípromising, auspicious, hopeful

Line 6: 比之無首凶

比bǐjoining with
之zhīthis, them, these
無wúwithout, with no, regardless of
首shǒupriorities, leadership, first principles, head
凶xiōngunfortunate, ill-omened; trouble, pitfalls

Practical Guidance

Water on Earth. Water flows together, seeking its level, filling the low places. Five yielding lines around one strong center. The Breakfast Club—five teenagers from incompatible social categories, forced together, gradually discovering they're not as different as they thought. Unity doesn't happen because you declare 'we're a team now.' It happens because people discover genuine common interests or shared experiences. Here's the critical question the classical text asks: if you want to be the center that holds people together, are you actually capable of it? Do you have the consistency, the strength of character, the genuine care for others that makes people want to unite around you? If the answer is no, that's not failure. The failure is pretending to be something you're not. Join someone else's group. Find the actual center and contribute from there. That's legitimate and often the wiser choice. But if you recognize the need for union and no adequate center exists—maybe you have to become it. This requires real self-honesty. You can't fake it. People can tell when the center is hollow, when the rallying point is just ego or ambition rather than something substantive. The Breakfast Club works because they stop performing their roles and start being honest. That honesty creates the basis for holding together. It's temporary—Monday morning they'll probably revert to their social categories. But for one Saturday, they achieved real union because they found authentic common ground. That's how it works: common experiences, shared vulnerability, genuine mutual recognition. Without those, you're just people standing near each other. With them, you're a group that can accomplish things none of you could do alone. The essay Brian writes at the end—signed 'The Breakfast Club'—represents the center they found. Not in a person, but in a shared recognition: 'Each one of us is a brain, an athlete, a basket case, a princess, and a criminal.' The categories were always artificial. The humanity underneath—that's what holds together.

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