I Ching Hexagram 27 — The Corners of the Mouth
Hexagram 27 asks about right nourishment — about what you take into yourself and what you give others, in body and in soul. In you lies a sense that a person becomes what they feed on: their thoughts, their words, their companions. The sign calls for mindfulness at both ends — guard what goes in through your mouth, and guard what comes out of it. The test lies in telling what nourishes apart from what is merely craved, and not gorging yourself on what leaves you empty. Whoever feeds themselves and others wisely builds up; whoever only follows appetite wears themselves out. In Birth Codex your personal I Ching hexagram is calculated from your date, time and place of birth — one of 23 cosmic systems in your full reading.
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The trigrams: Mountain over Thunder
The Corners of the Mouth places Mountain above Thunder: stillness above the Arousing. The two firm lines above and below enclose four soft ones in the middle — the shape of the lines draws an open jaw with teeth, the classical image of the mouth and its nourishment. The mountain above holds still, the thunder below moves like the jaw while chewing. Wilhelm reads the sign as the question of nourishment in the widest sense: it concerns caring for the body through food and for the mind through what one fills it with. In the classical reading, mindfulness toward both — taking in and bringing forth — decides between flourishing and decay.
Your gifts with Hexagram 27
You have a fine sense for what truly does you and others good — and what only satisfies for a moment. In conversations you quickly notice whether someone has genuine interest or is merely handing out words, and you choose your own words with care. People come to you because what you say and give has substance and is not mere trimming.
Hexagram 27: shadow & growth
Your shadow shows itself when you become the source without refilling — you give advice, time, and attention until nothing more comes through. Sometimes you also fill an inner emptiness with the wrong things: too much news, too much gossip, too much outside affirmation. Ask yourself honestly: what are you nourishing yourself with daily right now, and does it actually make you stronger or merely busy?
How to live Hexagram 27
For one week, observe what you consume — content, conversations, food — and after each, note whether you feel clearer or duller afterward. Before you say something important, pause briefly and check whether it nourishes or is merely noise. And deliberately plan one meal, one conversation, or one hour a day in which you take in something truly good, without doing anything else on the side.
Your guidance from Hexagram 27
Guard what goes in through your mouth, and guard what comes out of it — you become what you feed on: thoughts, words, companions. Tell what nourishes apart from what is merely craved, and do not gorge yourself on what leaves you empty. Feed yourself and others wisely, and you build up rather than wear out.
Hexagram 27 in Human Design
In Human Design each of the 64 gates corresponds exactly to one I Ching hexagram (1:1). Birth Codex derives Hexagram 27 from the position of the Sun at the moment of your birth and interprets it together with astrology, Human Design, Gene Keys, numerology and 18 further systems — individually for you.
Frequently Asked Questions
What does Hexagram 27 “The Corners of the Mouth” mean in the I Ching?✦
Hexagram 27 “The Corners of the Mouth” stands for Right nourishment and arises from the trigrams Mountain and Thunder. Hexagram 27 asks about right nourishment — about what you take into yourself and what you give others, in body and in soul. In you lies a sense that a person becomes what they feed on: their thoughts, their words, their companions. The sign calls for mindfulness at both ends — guard what goes in through your mouth, and guard what comes out of it. The test lies in telling what nourishes apart from what is merely craved, and not gorging yourself on what leaves you empty. Whoever feeds themselves and others wisely builds up; whoever only follows appetite wears themselves out.
Which trigrams make up Hexagram 27?✦
The Corners of the Mouth places Mountain above Thunder: stillness above the Arousing. The two firm lines above and below enclose four soft ones in the middle — the shape of the lines draws an open jaw with teeth, the classical image of the mouth and its nourishment. The mountain above holds still, the thunder below moves like the jaw while chewing. Wilhelm reads the sign as the question of nourishment in the widest sense: it concerns caring for the body through food and for the mind through what one fills it with. In the classical reading, mindfulness toward both — taking in and bringing forth — decides between flourishing and decay.
What does Hexagram 27 mean for my life?✦
You have a fine sense for what truly does you and others good — and what only satisfies for a moment. In conversations you quickly notice whether someone has genuine interest or is merely handing out words, and you choose your own words with care. People come to you because what you say and give has substance and is not mere trimming.
How are I Ching and Human Design connected?✦
Human Design builds directly on the I Ching: the 64 gates of the Human Design chart are identical to the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. The Gene Keys use the same 64 codes too. Birth Codex combines all three systems in one reading.