Holding Together
比Bi
No. 8 · Water over Earth
Bi (Holding Together)
About drawing close and joining: find someone worth following and go to them sincerely and early. Holding back until the very end tends to work against you.
Cast your own hexagramBi (Holding Together) is about finding the right people and drawing near sincerely. First make sure your intentions are sound and can last, then move closer. Move early; hesitating until the end is where it turns unfavorable.
Favorable
- Draw close to the right people
- Commit early once you are sure
- Check your intentions once more
- Reach out and build connections
Avoid
- Showing up at the last minute
- Falling in with the wrong crowd
- Wavering between options
- Relying on tactics to win people
Work and money
- Job search
- Good for joining a team or going after a manager or company you believe in. Once you have picked, apply early. The Judgment warns about the one who comes late; waiting until the openings fill up is too late.
- Business
- Partnerships, franchises and finding a strong backer all look favorable, since all five yin lines lean toward the fifth line. Picking the right core matters. Still, check twice, as the Judgment says: their track record and your own motives.
- Money
- You can team up with reliable people or join a stable organization. Choose partners carefully, and do not tie yourself to anyone whose background is unclear.
Love and people
- Single
- A promising sign for finding someone. Move toward the person you like; sincerity tends to work better than any playbook. If you are interested, show it soon. Waiting and watching may mean someone else asks first.
- In a relationship
- In the Image, water lies on the earth with no gap, so this is a good time to grow closer, maybe to talk about moving in or making long-term plans. Closeness still depends on the right person, so keep the third line's warning about the wrong company in mind.
- Getting back together
- There is a chance, but timing matters, and first ask whether you really want something lasting. The longer you wait, and once they have someone new, the more it becomes the Judgment's case of the latecomer losing out.
- People and partnerships
- People warm to you easily right now, and groups form around you. Reach out to those worth knowing. If someone's character is poor, do not force the connection; the wrong crowd is more trouble than being alone.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- Find a mentor, a teacher, an older student or a study group, and follow people who have done it. Register early and claim your spot, because late arrivals find the resources already shared out.
- Moving and travel
- Favorable for moving near family or friends, staying with people you know, or traveling with a group. Once you decide, book early; leave it to the last minute and choices shrink while prices rise.
- Body and mind
- Company helps you feel settled, so do not shut yourself away right now. Have dinner with a friend and talk things through. Watch for leaning too hard on others or caring too much what they think, and get to bed early when you are tired.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- It is likely to come, and fairly soon, usually because people move toward you. The condition is that you speak up early. Wait until the end and the chance may go to someone else.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- Bi (Holding Together) favors harmony, so negotiation tends to go better than court. Show goodwill early and find a go-between to bridge the gap. Whoever comes to the table first tends to get the better terms; the last to arrive loses ground.
- Lost things and people
- Good chances of finding it. The Image's water on the earth points to floor level, somewhere near water, or a place where people gather. Ask those closest to you, family or coworkers; often someone nearby knows where it went.
Making a decision
Ask yourself whether you mean it and whether it can last. Once you are sure, act early. Delay is the biggest risk in this hexagram.
If you are…
Bi (Holding Together) asks you to look again before you commit: which manager is worth following for years, and which path you actually want. Once it is clear, reply early. Keeping both waiting could cost you both.
Bi (Holding Together) is water resting on the earth, a hexagram of closeness, so the timing is good. If you really want to be together, say so soon. The Judgment warns about the one who comes last, and they may not wait forever.
This is the reading when no line is changing. With changing lines, Zhu Xi’s method says which line to read, and the result page after a casting tells you directly.
吉。原筮元永貞，无咎。不寧方來，後夫凶。
Good fortune. Cast again and examine yourself: with goodness at the root, constancy and steadfastness, no blame. Those who are uneasy come from all sides. The one who comes late meets misfortune.
Water over Earth. Kan (Water) sits above, Kun (Earth) below: water lying on the ground, pressed close with no gap between them, which is why it is called Bi (Holding Together), closeness. The one yang line holds the honored fifth place, and all five yin lines gather toward it.
Six at the beginning
有孚，比之，无咎。有孚盈缶，終來有它，吉。
Hold to them with sincerity: no blame. Sincerity that fills like a brimming clay jar brings, in the end, good fortune from an unexpected quarter.
When you first approach a person or a group, lead with honesty, not calculation. When the good faith is real, the rewards often come from places you did not expect.
Small Image: 比之初六，有它吉也。
Six in the second place
比之自內，貞吉。
Holding to them from within. Steadfastness brings good fortune.
Get close because you genuinely agree, not to win favor. Keep your own principles, and the bond tends to stay steady.
Small Image: 比之自內，不自失也。
Six in the third place
比之匪人。
Holding to the wrong people.
The person or circle you are moving toward may not be right for you. Stop and take a clear look at their character, and step back early before they drag you down.
Small Image: 比之匪人，不亦傷乎！
Six in the fourth place
外比之，貞吉。
Holding to the worthy one outside. Steadfastness brings good fortune.
Go ahead and seek out people more capable and more principled than you, to work with or learn from. Approach them openly and honestly; that is fine.
Small Image: 外比於賢，以從上也。
Nine in the fifth place
顯比。王用三驅，失前禽，邑人不誡，吉。
Open, honest closeness. The king hunts driving game from three sides only and lets the animals ahead escape; the townspeople need not be on guard. Good fortune.
You are the person others want to be near. Welcome those who come and let those who leave go. You do not need to build a faction; people tend to come to respect you on their own.
Small Image: 顯比之吉，位正中也。舍逆取順，失前禽也。邑人不誡，上使中也。
Six at the top
比之无首，凶。
Seeking closeness without a good beginning. Misfortune.
You kept putting off the moment to commit or join, and now that you want in, the place is taken. Decide sooner next time, and for now, do not force your way in.
Small Image: 比之无首，无所終也。
比，吉也。比，輔也，下順從也。原筮，元永貞，无咎，以剛中也。不寧方來，上下應也。後夫凶，其道窮也。
Bi (Holding Together) means good fortune. Bi means support: those below follow willingly. Cast again, and with goodness at the root, constancy and steadfastness there is no blame, because the firm line holds the center. Those who are uneasy come from all sides, because above and below answer each other. The one who comes late meets misfortune, because his road has run out.
The Image地上有水，比；先王以建萬國，親諸侯。
Water upon the earth: this is Bi (Holding Together). So the kings of old founded the many states and kept close ties with their lords.
The Sequence: why it comes here眾必有所比，故受之以比；比者比也。
When there are many people, they must hold to something, a center to gather around, so Shi (The Army) is followed by Bi (Holding Together). Bi means drawing close and attaching oneself.
Miscellaneous Notes乾剛坤柔，比樂師憂。
Bi (Holding Together) and Shi (The Army) are paired: Bi is everyone drawing close around one center, so it brings joy; Shi is mobilizing the many to march out, so it brings worry.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Bi mean for love?
A promising sign for finding someone. Move toward the person you like; sincerity tends to work better than any playbook. If you are interested, show it soon. Waiting and watching may mean someone else asks first. In the Image, water lies on the earth with no gap, so this is a good time to grow closer, maybe to talk about moving in or making long-term plans. Closeness still depends on the right person, so keep the third line's warning about the wrong company in mind.
What does Bi mean for work?
Good for joining a team or going after a manager or company you believe in. Once you have picked, apply early. The Judgment warns about the one who comes late; waiting until the openings fill up is too late. A good time to join a team, find partners, or attach yourself to the right manager. Once you are sure, say so early instead of waiting until everyone else has taken their places.
With Bi, will what I am waiting for come?
It is likely to come, and fairly soon, usually because people move toward you. The condition is that you speak up early. Wait until the end and the chance may go to someone else.
With Bi, will I find what I lost?
Good chances of finding it. The Image's water on the earth points to floor level, somewhere near water, or a place where people gather. Ask those closest to you, family or coworkers; often someone nearby knows where it went.
A hexagram answers one question; your chart shows the whole of you and your year.
The classical text follows the standard edition of the Zhouyi. The plain readings are Xingge’s own, offered as a reference, not as the final word.