Holding Together (Union)
Water (坎 Kǎn) above, Earth (坤 Kūn) below
Published July 22, 2026 · By Oriens
I Ching Hexagram 8, 比 (Bǐ), represents Holding Together (Union).
SourceZhouyi (周易, The Book of Changes) — hexagram 8 (比 Bǐ). Chinese source: Chinese Text Project, based on 《武英殿十三經注疏》本《周易正義》 (ctp:book-of-changes/bi). Judgment: received Zhouyi hexagram statement (卦辭). English: Translation by Oriens Editorial Translation. Image: Xiang / Image commentary layer (象傳), distinct from the Judgment and line texts. Image and line English: named translation by James Legge, The Yî King (1899), public-domain translation; online reproduction. The named translation is used for the Image and line statements only.
1. Judgment (卦辭 Guàcí)
比：吉。原筮元永貞，无咎。不寧方來，後夫凶。
Oriens Editorial Translation: Alliance: good fortune. If one consults the oracle anew: great and enduring constancy, no blame. The unsettled come; the late arriver meets misfortune.
2. Image (象 Xiàng / Xiang commentary)
地上有水,比。先王以建万国,亲诸侯。
James Legge: (The trigram representing) the earth, and over it (that representing) water, form Pi. The ancient kings, in accordance with this, established the various states and maintained an affectionate relation to their princes.
3. Line Statements (爻辭 Yáocí)
Line 1 of 6 (from the bottom):
初六：有孚，比之，无咎。有孚盈缶，終來有它吉。
James Legge: The first SIX, divided, shows its subject seeking by his sincerity to win the attachment of his object. There will be no error. Let (the breast) be full of sincerity as an earthenware vessel is of its contents, and it will in the end bring other advantages.
Line 2 of 6 (from the bottom):
六二：比之自內，貞吉。
James Legge: In the second SIX, divided, we see the movement towards union and attachment proceeding from the inward (mind). With firm correctness there will be good fortune.
Line 3 of 6 (from the bottom):
六三：比之匪人。
James Legge: In the third SIX, divided, we see its subject seeking for union with such as ought not to be associated with.
Line 4 of 6 (from the bottom):
六四：外比之，貞吉。
James Legge: In the fourth SIX, divided, we see its subject seeking for union with the one beyond himself. With firm correctness there will be good fortune.
Line 5 of 6 (from the bottom):
九五：顯比，王用三驅，失前禽。邑人不誡，吉。
James Legge: The fifth NINE, undivided, affords the most illustrious instance of seeking union and attachment. (We seem to see in it) the king urging his pursuit of the game (only) in three directions, and allowing the escape of all the animals before him, while the people of his towns do not warn one another (to prevent it). There will be good fortune.
Line 6 of 6 (from the bottom):
上六：比之无首，凶。
James Legge: In the topmost SIX, divided, we see one seeking union and attachment without having taken the first step (to such an end). There will be evil.
For the general method for changing lines and relating hexagrams, see How to Read the I Ching.
4. Modern Interpretation (Oriens commentary)
This is an Oriens interpretation, not part of the Zhouyi text.
Holding Together can prompt a careful question about affiliation: what draws people together here, whether the basis of union is genuine, and what joining late or reluctantly means in this figure. The image of water resting on the earth reads here as a figure-level theme of mutual reliance — not advice to conform to any group.
The Chinese source and translation provenance are identified above. The Judgment is an Oriens Editorial Translation; the Image and line statements are labeled with James Legge. This keeps the modern reflection separate from both the received text and the named translation.
This reflection predicts nothing about alliances, teams, or relationships. Health, financial, legal, employment, and relationship decisions belong within their appropriate professional and personal contexts.
Continue with the Hexagram 8 card and the I Ching guide; these are reading paths, not additional predictions.