Hexagram 27: Yi (Nourishment, 颐) - Providing and Sustaining

BY NICOLE LAU

Yi (颐, Nourishment) is Hexagram 27 in the I Ching, following Da Chu (Great Taming). With binary encoding 100001, Yi represents nourishment, feeding, and the art of sustaining life. This is not just physical food but all forms of sustenance - what you take in, what you give out, how you nourish yourself and others. Understanding Yi is understanding that nourishment is fundamental, that what you feed yourself matters, and that providing for others is a sacred responsibility.

Traditional Interpretation

Classical I Ching texts describe Yi as "The Corners of the Mouth" or "Providing Nourishment." The character 颐 depicts jaws/cheeks - mouth, feeding, nourishment. Key attributes: Nourishment (滋养, zi yang) - feeding, sustaining. Provision (供给, gong ji) - providing for needs. Care (照顾, zhao gu) - looking after, maintaining. Discernment (分辨, fen bian) - choosing what to take in. The Judgment: "The Corners of the Mouth. Perseverance brings good fortune. Pay heed to the providing of nourishment and to what a man seeks to fill his own mouth with." Right nourishment brings success. Watch what you consume and provide. The Image: "At the foot of the mountain, thunder: the image of Providing Nourishment. Thus the superior person is careful of his words and temperate in eating and drinking." Thunder at mountain's base - movement and stillness. Be careful what goes in and out of mouth.

Binary Encoding: 100001

In binary: 100001. In decimal: 33. Structure: Line 1: Yang (1) - lower jaw. Lines 2-5: Yin-Yin-Yin-Yin (0000) - empty space, mouth cavity. Line 6: Yang (1) - upper jaw. Two yang (jaws) with yin between (mouth) - structure of feeding, nourishment. What goes between the jaws matters.

Yin-Yang Dynamics

Yang at top and bottom - jaws, structure. Yin in middle - what is consumed, nourished. Mountain above Thunder - Yi's upper trigram is Gen (Mountain, ☶, 100), lower is Zhen (Thunder, ☳, 001). Mountain still, thunder moves - balance of rest and activity in nourishment. Stillness digests, movement seeks food.

Modern Applications

Physical: Diet and nutrition - Yi is what you eat, how you nourish body. Health maintenance - proper care and feeding. Rest and activity balance - nourishing through both. Mental/Spiritual: Information diet - what you consume mentally. Learning - feeding mind with knowledge. Spiritual practice - nourishing soul. Social: Providing for others - feeding family, community. Caregiving - nourishing those who depend on you. Teaching - feeding minds. Communication: Words as nourishment - what comes out of mouth. Speech quality - nourishing or toxic words.

Systems Science Framework

Yi is input-output system - what goes in affects what comes out. Metabolism - transforming inputs into energy and outputs. Sustainability - proper nourishment maintains system. Quality control - discerning good inputs from bad. Feedback - system health reflects nourishment quality.

Practical Guidance

When Yi appears: Pay attention to nourishment. What are you taking in? Food, information, relationships - are they nourishing or depleting? What are you providing? Are you feeding others well? Be careful of words - what comes out of mouth. Be temperate in consumption. Discern quality - not all food (physical, mental, spiritual) is good. Right nourishment brings success. Wrong nourishment brings harm. This is fundamental - get nourishment right, everything else follows.

Conclusion

Yi (100001) teaches: Nourishment is fundamental. What you take in matters. What you provide matters. Be discerning about consumption. Be careful about words. Balance rest and activity. After great accumulation (Da Chu) comes nourishment (Yi). This is the progression: accumulate resources, then use them to nourish. The jaws. The mouth. What goes in, what comes out. This is the art of nourishment.

This is Article 89 of the I Ching Hexagram Dynamics series. — Nicole Lau