Biting Through

Line by Line Wisdom

Line 1 (Bottom): "His feet are fastened in the stocks." This teaches that minor offenses require minor corrections. The lesson: address problems early before they grow.

Line 2: "Bites through tender meat." This represents dealing with easy problems. The lesson: don't avoid small obstacles; bite through them.

Line 3: "Bites on old dried meat." This warns of difficulties that come with persistence. The lesson: some problems are tough; keep biting.

Line 4: "Gets golden arrows." This represents receiving help in difficult situations. The lesson: when facing tough obstacles, seek the right tools and allies.

Line 5: "Bites on dried gristle." This acknowledges the hardest challenges. The lesson: even the toughest problems can be bitten through with determination.

Line 6 (Top): "His neck is fastened in the wooden cangue." This warns of consequences for ignoring justice. The lesson: when justice is avoided, it eventually constrains everyone.

Historical Anecdote

The Nuremberg Trials (1945-1946) embodied Hexagram 21's principle of biting through obstacles to justice. After World War II, the Allies faced an unprecedented challenge: how to hold Nazi leaders accountable for crimes that had no legal precedent.

Many argued for summary execution. Others said the crimes were too vast for legal process. The Allies chose a third path: create a new legal framework and bite through the obstacles. They established the International Military Tribunal, defining "crimes against humanity" for the first time.

The trials faced enormous challenges (Line 3's "old dried meat"). Legal technicalities, language barriers, and the sheer scale of atrocities threatened to derail proceedings. Yet prosecutors persisted, presenting meticulous documentation of Nazi crimes.

Twenty-four major war criminals were tried; twelve received death sentences. More importantly, the trials established principles that endure: individuals, not just states, can be held accountable; "just following orders" is not a defense; crimes against humanity concern all humanity.

The Nuremberg Principles became the foundation for international criminal law, leading to tribunals for Yugoslavia, Rwanda, and the International Criminal Court. This shows Line 4's "golden arrows": the right tools and principles, once forged, serve justice for generations. Biting through the obstacles of 1945 created pathways for justice that continue today.

Modern Case Study

The #MeToo movement, which exploded in 2017, embodies Hexagram 21's principle of biting through obstacles to justice that had persisted for decades. For generations, sexual harassment and assault were normalized, protected by power structures that made speaking out seem impossible.

When Harvey Weinstein's pattern of abuse was exposed, it required biting through "dried gristle" (Line 5)—decades of normalized behavior, legal agreements, and institutional protection. Survivors faced enormous obstacles: non-disclosure agreements, career threats, and cultural messages that blamed victims.

Yet they persisted. The movement spread globally, reaching entertainment, politics, business, and everyday workplaces. It wasn't just about individual accountability but structural change. Companies revised policies, legislatures passed new laws, and cultural norms began shifting.

The movement faced backlash and complications. Some worried about due process; others about overreach. These are Line 3's challenges: biting through tough problems creates new complexities. But the fundamental principle remained: obstacles to justice must be bitten through, however difficult.

#MeToo demonstrates that Hexagram 21's wisdom applies not just to legal systems but to cultural transformation. When enough people commit to biting through obstacles together, even deeply entrenched injustices can be addressed. The movement continues evolving, but it has permanently changed how society approaches power, consent, and accountability.