初
初九。舎爾靈龜、観我朶頤、凶。
Abandoning your sacred turtle to look at another’s food—misfortune. Value your own source.
䷚
Hexagram 27
Nourishment (山雷頤)
Sanrai-i / Yí
The jaws—what you take in and what you speak. Mind your intake and your words.
Judgment
頤。貞吉。観頤、自求口実。
Nourishment. Correctness brings good fortune. Observe nourishment—seek what to fill the mouth yourself.
What you consume and express shapes destiny; choose carefully.
Line-by-Line (Yao)
Interpretations if the line changes.
二
六二。顛頤、拂経、于丘頤、征凶。
Upside-down nourishment, ignoring the norm—feeding on a hill; traveling brings misfortune. Wrong sources harm.
三
六三。拂頤、貞凶、十年勿用、无攸利。
Twisted nourishment—upright yet misfortunate. Ten years unsuitable; nothing benefits. Long misalignment.
四
六四。顛頤、吉、虎視眈眈、其欲逐逐、无咎。
Upside-down nourishment yet good; tiger’s intense gaze, desires pressing—no blame if controlled.
五
九五。拂経、居貞吉、不可渉大川。
Departing from norms—staying correct is good; don’t cross the great river. Limit risks.
上
上九。由頤、厲吉、利渉大川。
Originating nourishment—dangerous but lucky; favorable to cross the great river when aligned with principle.
Practical Reading: Love, Career, Health & Decisions
When you cast Hexagram 27, Yí (Nourishment), the Book of Changes shows you a situation with Gen (Mountain) above and Zhen (Thunder) below. The jaws—what you take in and what you speak. Mind your intake and your words. Use the cards below to map that pattern onto your specific question — a love reading, a career decision, a health concern, or a yes/no choice.
Love & Relationships
Gentle words and mutual support feed the bond. In a love or relationship reading, Hexagram 27 (Yí) describes the meeting point of Gen (mountain) above and Zhen (thunder) below: how the outer situation meets your inner state. Ask whether you are forcing the relationship to fit a picture, or letting it move at the rhythm this hexagram suggests. For a partnered question, read the changing lines to see which side — yours or the other person's — is being asked to shift.
Work & Career
Invest in learning and careful speech; feeding skills brings success. In work and career, Yí points to whether the outer market or workplace (Gen (mountain)) and your inner stance (Zhen (thunder)) are in alignment. If a project, negotiation, or job change is the question, ask what this hexagram says about timing rather than effort: pushing harder rarely changes a Yí situation; reading the configuration usually does.
Health & Wellbeing
Watch diet and mental intake; balanced nourishment heals. For a body or wellness reading, treat the lines of Hexagram 27 as descriptions of phases, not diagnoses. Yí usually signals where energy needs to be conserved versus where it is asking to be expressed. Combine the hexagram's advice with concrete medical guidance — the I Ching is a reflective tool, not a substitute for professional care.
Decision-Making
When the question is a yes/no — should I take the offer, move, leave, commit? — read Hexagram 27 (Yí, Nourishment) as a statement about the configuration of your situation rather than the outcome. The summary "The jaws—what you take in and what you speak. Mind your intake and your words." is your starting frame. Ask: does this action respect that configuration, or fight it? Changing lines, if any, tell you which specific aspect needs to bend.
Hexagram 27 Meaning in Daily Life
Hexagram 27 focuses on nourishment in the broadest sense: food, information, language, habits, and the people you let shape you. The image of the jaws asks what you are feeding and what is feeding you.
In relationships, Hexagram 27 highlights tone, support, and emotional nutrition. In work, it points to study, discipline, and the quality of your inputs. When Nourishment appears, improve the source before chasing the result, because steady inputs create steady outcomes.
What does Hexagram 27 mean for health?
It points to diet, recovery habits, and the need to choose what truly supports body and mind instead of what merely fills the gap.
Why does Hexagram 27 mention speech?
Because words also nourish or deplete. The hexagram reminds you to watch not only what you consume, but also what you say and repeat.
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