Hexagram 27: Nourishment
Outer trigram (upper)
Cấn
Mountain · Earth
Inner trigram (lower)
Chấn
Thunder · Wood
Judgment
頤：貞吉，觀頤，自求口實.
Translation
Nourishment (the jaw): holding to what is right brings fortune. Observe how nourishment is given, and seek your own food for yourself.
Commentary
Gen above is stillness, Zhen below is movement. Two yang lines at top and bottom with four yin lines between them form the image of a jaw. This hexagram concerns the way of nourishment — nourishing oneself and nourishing others — which must be done properly. Seeking your own food rather than depending on others is the right path.
Line Readings
Line 1 (yang)
初九：舍爾靈龜，觀我朶頤，凶.
Translation
Line 1, yang: setting aside your own sacred tortoise to gaze enviously at me — misfortune.
Commentary
Line 1, yang, has the means to provide for itself (the sacred tortoise) but sets that aside to look at others with envy instead — a failure of self-reliance, and misfortune.
Line 2 (yin)
六二：顛頤，拂經，于丘頤，征凶.
Translation
Line 2, yin: seeking nourishment from above, against the natural order; seeking food from the high hill — proceeding brings misfortune.
Commentary
Line 2, yin, does not nourish itself, and instead of turning to line 1 below, reaches upward to line 6 to be fed — going against the natural order, which brings misfortune.
Line 3 (yin)
六三：拂頤，貞凶，十年勿用无攸利.
Translation
Line 3, yin: going against the way of nourishment; even holding firm brings misfortune — unusable for ten years, nothing to be gained.
Commentary
Neither centered nor correct, line 3 craves food obtained the wrong way; even holding to correctness does not help here — for ten years it cannot be put to use.
Line 4 (yin)
六四：顛頤，吉，虎視眈眈，其欲逐逐，无咎.
Translation
Line 4, yin: nourishing downward from above, but to nourish another — fortune; watching with a tiger's intent stare, desire chasing after desire — without fault.
Commentary
Correctly placed, line 4 nourishes another (line 1 below), which is a good thing. Though it watches with a tiger's hungry intensity, its purpose is proper, so it remains without fault.
Line 5 (yin)
六五：拂經，居貞，吉，不可涉大川.
Translation
Line 5, yin: against the natural order; staying still and holding to what is right brings fortune — not fit to cross the great river.
Commentary
Centered and holding the honored place, line 5 cannot nourish itself and must rely on line 6 — against the usual order. Staying put and holding correctness brings fortune; this is not the time to take risks.
Line 6 (yang)
上九：由頤，厲吉，利涉大川.
Translation
Top line, yang: the one others rely on for nourishment — danger, yet fortune; favorable to cross the great river.
Commentary
At the top, line 6 carries the responsibility of nourishing the whole hexagram, the whole realm. Though this brings danger, it is fortunate, and great undertakings become possible.