A woman is considering whether to start a side business. She formulates her question: 'What should I consider about starting a side business this year?' She tosses three coins six times with the following results:
Toss 1 (bottom): 2 tails + 1 head = 7 (stable yang, —). Toss 2: 3 heads = 9 (changing yang, —o—). Toss 3: 2 heads + 1 tail = 8 (stable yin, - -). Toss 4: 2 tails + 1 head = 7 (stable yang, —). Toss 5: 3 tails = 6 (changing yin, - -x- -). Toss 6 (top): 2 heads + 1 tail = 8 (stable yin, - -).
The hexagram is: — (bottom), —o—, - -, —, - -x- -, - - (top). The lower trigram is ☲ (Li, Fire). The upper trigram is ☳ (Zhen, Thunder). Fire below Thunder is hexagram 21 (䷔, Shi He, Biting Through).
The judgment of hexagram 21: 'Biting Through has success. It is favourable to let justice be administered.' The theme is about cutting through obstacles or resolving a difficult situation. There are two changing lines: line 2 (changing yang) and line 5 (changing yin). The relating hexagram, formed by changing both lines, is hexagram 25 (䷘, Wu Wang, Innocence).
Line 2 says: 'Bites through tender meat so that the nose disappears. No blame.' This suggests that the initial difficulty will be easier than expected. Line 5 says: 'Bites through dried meat and receives yellow gold. Perseverance brings reward.' This suggests that persistent effort will lead to material reward.
The relating hexagram 25 (Innocence) says: 'Innocence. Supreme success. Perseverance furthers. If someone is not as he should be, he has misfortune, and it does not further him to undertake anything.' This warns that the venture must be pursued with integrity.
She interprets: the side business idea is worth pursuing, but only if she does it honestly and sustainably. The initial difficulty (Biting Through) will be manageable, and persistent effort will bring reward. She decides to start small, test the market, and grow gradually. The I Ching did not tell her whether to start the business. It gave her a framework for thinking about how to start it.
