易I Ching Notes
43

夬

Guài · Breakthrough

Cut cleanly, in the open, and do not corner what you are removing.

Read the judgment

Six lines, read from the bottom up.

Upper 兌 Lake · Lower 乾 Heaven Tap a line to read it

The judgment

夬:揚於王庭,孚號,有厲,告自邑,不利即戎,利有攸往。

Breakthrough. Proclaim it in the king's court, cry it out sincerely. There is danger; speak first in your own town. It is not favorable to take up arms; it is favorable to go forward.

Received text; plain English after the Chinese. Source: 周易經傳 (public-domain). Passage: hex43.judgment.

The image

象曰:澤上於天,夬。君子以施祿及下,居德則忌。

The lake rises to heaven: breakthrough. A capable person shares bounty downward; hoarding virtue is what is forbidden.

Received text; plain English after the Chinese. Source: 周易經傳 (public-domain). Passage: hex43.image.

Cut cleanly, in the open, and do not corner what you are removing.

The six lines

Each line is a stage, from the bottom of the hexagram to the top. Open any line to read it in plain English.

初九 壯於前趾,往不勝為咎。 Strength in the front toes: going forward and not winning is the blame. Do not start what you cannot finish.

Strength in the front toes: going forward and not winning is the blame. Do not start what you cannot finish.

九二 惕號,莫夜有戎,勿恤。 Alert and calling out: if armed men come at night, do not worry. Preparedness is the answer.

Alert and calling out: if armed men come at night, do not worry. Preparedness is the answer.

九三 壯於頄,有凶。 君子夬夬,獨行遇雨,若濡有慍,無咎。 Strength in the cheekbones: misfortune. A capable person breaks through alone, meets rain, gets wet and resentful; no blame.

Strength in the cheekbones: misfortune. A capable person breaks through alone, meets rain, gets wet and resentful; no blame.

九四 臀無膚,其行次且。 牽羊悔亡,聞言不信。 No skin on the buttocks; walking is halting. Lead the sheep and regret disappears; but you hear the advice and do not believe it.

No skin on the buttocks; walking is halting. Lead the sheep and regret disappears; but you hear the advice and do not believe it.

九五 莧陸夬夬,中行無咎。 Breakthrough on the hoe-land, decisive and clean. Walk the middle and there is no blame.

Breakthrough on the hoe-land, decisive and clean. Walk the middle and there is no blame.

上六 無號,終有凶。 No cry, no warning. In the end there is misfortune: what is not named cannot be dealt with.

No cry, no warning. In the end there is misfortune: what is not named cannot be dealt with.

Cast six lines

Hold one question in mind. Throw three coins, six times, from the bottom line up.