I Ching Hexagram 22: Adorning (賁)
Overview
This hexagram shows a fire that breaks out of the secret depths of the earth and, blazing up, illuminates and beautifies the mountain, the heavenly heights. Grace-beauty of form-is necessary in any union if it is to be well ordered and pleasing rather than disordered and chaotic.
The Judgment — Wilhelm/Baynes Translation
GRACE has success. In small matters It is favorable to undertake something.
— Richard Wilhelm & Cary F. Baynes, The I Ching or Book of Changes (Princeton University Press, 1950)
The Image — Wilhelm/Baynes Translation
Fire at the foot of the mountain: The image of GRACE. Thus does the superior man proceed When clearing up current affairs. But he dare not decide controversial issues in this way.
— Richard Wilhelm & Cary F. Baynes, The I Ching or Book of Changes (1950)
Commentary
The fire, whose light illuminates the mountain and makes it pleasing, does not shine far; in the same way, beautiful form suffices to brighten and to throw light upon matters of lesser moment, but important questions cannot be decided in this way. They require greater earnestness.
The Six Lines — Complete Commentary
Each line represents a stage in the unfolding situation. A line becomes "changing" when it transforms during divination.
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Line 1
He lends grace to his toes, leaves the carriage, and walks.
A beginner in subordinate place must take upon himself the labor of advancing. There might be an opportunity of surreptitiously easing the way-symbolized by the carriage-but a self-contained man scorns help gained in a dubious fashion. He thinks it more graceful to go on foot than to drive in a carriage under false pretenses. -
Line 2
Lends grace to the beard on his chin.
The beard is not an independent thing; it moves only with the chin. The image therefore means that form is to be considered only as a result and attribute of content. The beard is a superfluous ornament. To devote care to it for its own sake, without regard for the inner content of which it is an ornament, would bespeak a certain vanity. -
Line 3
Graceful and moist. Constant perseverance brings good fortune.
This represents a very charming life situation. One is under the spell of grace and the mellow mood induced by wine. This grace can adorn, but it can also swamp us. Hence the warning not to sink into convivial indolence but to remain constant in perseverance. Good fortune depends on this. -
Line 4
Grace or simplicity? A white horse comes as if on wings. He is not a robber, He will woo at the right time.
An individual is in a situation in which doubts arise as to which is better-to pursue the grace of external brilliance, or to return to simplicity. The doubt itself implies the answer. Confirmation comes from the outside; it comes like a white winged horse. The white color indicates simplicity. At first it may be disappointing to renounce the comforts that might have been obtained, yet one finds peace of mind in a true relationship with the friend who courts him. The winged horse is the symbol of the thoughts that transcend all limits of space and time. -
Line 5
Grace in the hills and gardens. The roll of silk is meager and small. Humiliation, but in the end good fortune.
A man withdraws from contact with people of the lowlands, who seek nothing but magnificence and luxury, in to the solitude of the heights. There he finds an individual to look up to, whom he would like to have as a friend. But the gifts he has to offer are poor and few, so that he feels ashamed. However, it is not the material gifts that count, but sincerity of feeling, and so all goes well in the end. -
Line 6
Simple grace. No blame.
Here at the highest stage of development all ornament is discarded. Form no longer conceals content but brings out its value to the full. Perfect grace consists not in exterior ornamentation of the substance, but in the simple fitness of its form.
♥ Hexagram 22 Adorning — Love & Relationships
Hexagram 22, Adorning (賁, bì), brings a profound and timely message to love and relationships. The interplay of KEEPING STILL over THE CLINGING — MOUNTAIN resting upon FIRE — creates a dynamic that speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities you face in your relationships. This hexagram invites careful reflection on how its ancient wisdom applies to the most pressing questions of emotional connection.
The I Ching has been consulted for thousands of years precisely because its symbolic language, developed through centuries of careful observation of natural and human patterns, cuts through surface circumstances to reveal deeper truths. When Hexagram 22 Adorning appears in response to questions about partnership, it brings the combined wisdom of its two trigrams: the qualities of MOUNTAIN above and FIRE below, interacting to create a specific and meaningful moment in the cycle of change.
★ Hexagram 22 Adorning — Career & Work
Hexagram 22, Adorning (賁, bì), brings a profound and timely message to professional life and career development. The interplay of KEEPING STILL over THE CLINGING — MOUNTAIN resting upon FIRE — creates a dynamic that speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities you face in your work. This hexagram invites careful reflection on how its ancient wisdom applies to the most pressing questions of professional growth.
The I Ching has been consulted for thousands of years precisely because its symbolic language, developed through centuries of careful observation of natural and human patterns, cuts through surface circumstances to reveal deeper truths. When Hexagram 22 Adorning appears in response to questions about career path, it brings the combined wisdom of its two trigrams: the qualities of MOUNTAIN above and FIRE below, interacting to create a specific and meaningful moment in the cycle of change.
◆ Hexagram 22 Adorning — Money & Finances
Hexagram 22, Adorning (賁, bì), brings a profound and timely message to financial matters. The interplay of KEEPING STILL over THE CLINGING — MOUNTAIN resting upon FIRE — creates a dynamic that speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities you face in your resources. This hexagram invites careful reflection on how its ancient wisdom applies to the most pressing questions of material abundance.
The I Ching has been consulted for thousands of years precisely because its symbolic language, developed through centuries of careful observation of natural and human patterns, cuts through surface circumstances to reveal deeper truths. When Hexagram 22 Adorning appears in response to questions about financial security, it brings the combined wisdom of its two trigrams: the qualities of MOUNTAIN above and FIRE below, interacting to create a specific and meaningful moment in the cycle of change.
☤ Hexagram 22 Adorning — Health & Wellbeing
Hexagram 22, Adorning (賁, bì), brings a profound and timely message to health and wellbeing. The interplay of KEEPING STILL over THE CLINGING — MOUNTAIN resting upon FIRE — creates a dynamic that speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities you face in your body and mind. This hexagram invites careful reflection on how its ancient wisdom applies to the most pressing questions of physical vitality.
The I Ching has been consulted for thousands of years precisely because its symbolic language, developed through centuries of careful observation of natural and human patterns, cuts through surface circumstances to reveal deeper truths. When Hexagram 22 Adorning appears in response to questions about wellness journey, it brings the combined wisdom of its two trigrams: the qualities of MOUNTAIN above and FIRE below, interacting to create a specific and meaningful moment in the cycle of change.
☯ Hexagram 22 Adorning — Spiritual Growth
Hexagram 22, Adorning (賁, bì), brings a profound and timely message to spiritual development. The interplay of KEEPING STILL over THE CLINGING — MOUNTAIN resting upon FIRE — creates a dynamic that speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities you face in your inner life. This hexagram invites careful reflection on how its ancient wisdom applies to the most pressing questions of spiritual growth.
The I Ching has been consulted for thousands of years precisely because its symbolic language, developed through centuries of careful observation of natural and human patterns, cuts through surface circumstances to reveal deeper truths. When Hexagram 22 Adorning appears in response to questions about the path of wisdom, it brings the combined wisdom of its two trigrams: the qualities of MOUNTAIN above and FIRE below, interacting to create a specific and meaningful moment in the cycle of change.
△ Hexagram 22 Adorning — Business & Strategy
Hexagram 22, Adorning (賁, bì), brings a profound and timely message to business and commerce. The interplay of KEEPING STILL over THE CLINGING — MOUNTAIN resting upon FIRE — creates a dynamic that speaks directly to the challenges and opportunities you face in your enterprise. This hexagram invites careful reflection on how its ancient wisdom applies to the most pressing questions of commercial success.
The I Ching has been consulted for thousands of years precisely because its symbolic language, developed through centuries of careful observation of natural and human patterns, cuts through surface circumstances to reveal deeper truths. When Hexagram 22 Adorning appears in response to questions about business ventures, it brings the combined wisdom of its two trigrams: the qualities of MOUNTAIN above and FIRE below, interacting to create a specific and meaningful moment in the cycle of change.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Hexagram 22 Adorning mean?
Grace brings success. However, it is not the essential or fundamental thing; it is only the ornament and therefore be used sparingly and only in little things. In the lower trigram of fire a yielding line comes between two strong lines and makes them beautiful, but the strong lines are the essential content and the weak line is the beautifying form. In the upper trigram of the mountain, the strong line takes the lead, so that here again the strong element must be regarded as the decisive factor.
Is Hexagram 22 a yes or no?
The I Ching does not provide simple yes or no answers. Hexagram 22, Adorning, offers guidance about the quality and direction of the current moment. Consult the judgment and image texts above for specific direction relevant to your question.
What are the changing lines in Hexagram 22?
Changing lines indicate points of transformation within your reading. Each of the six lines in Hexagram 22 carries its own meaning — see the complete line commentary above for detailed guidance on each position.
Have a question about this hexagram?
Get a Personalized Adorning ReadingSources
- Wilhelm, Richard & Baynes, Cary F. The I Ching or Book of Changes. Princeton University Press, 1950.
- Legge, James. The I Ching: Book of Changes. Dover Publications, 1963.
- Huang, Alfred. The Complete I Ching. Inner Traditions, 1998.
Commentary
Grace brings success. However, it is not the essential or fundamental thing; it is only the ornament and therefore be used sparingly and only in little things. In the lower trigram of fire a yielding line comes between two strong lines and makes them beautiful, but the strong lines are the essential content and the weak line is the beautifying form. In the upper trigram of the mountain, the strong line takes the lead, so that here again the strong element must be regarded as the decisive factor. In nature we see in the sky the strong light of the sun; the life of the world depends on it. But this strong, essential thing is changed and given pleasing variety by the moon and the stars. In human affairs, aesthetic form comes into being when traditions exist that, strong and abiding like mountains, are made pleasing by a lucid beauty. By contemplating the forms existing in the heavens we come to understand time and its changing demands. Through contemplation of the forms existing in human society it becomes possible to shape the world.