Hexagram 43 of 64

Breakthrough夬

The lake rises to heaven. The noble person shares wealth with those below and does not rest on their virtue.

Upper
Lake
Lower
Heaven
Order
43 / 64
Pick a line to read it

揚于王庭，孚號，有厲，告自邑，不利即戎，利有攸往。

Judgment: Make it known in the king's court. Call out with trust: there is danger. Tell your own town. It does not help to take up arms. It helps to go forward.

澤上于天，夬；君子以施祿及下，居德則忌。

Image: The lake rises to heaven. The noble person shares wealth with those below and does not rest on their virtue.

In plain words

The situation: The time for a decision has come.

What you can do: Say it openly, and do not resort to force.

For culture and reflection only. Our own plain summary, not a translation.

The six lines

  1. 上六无號，終有凶。No cry. Misfortune in the end.In shortAt the end, crying out does not help; things turn bad, so deal with it sooner.
  2. 九五莧陸夬夬，中行无咎。Purslane, cleared firmly. Walking the middle way, no fault.In shortCut cleanly and decisively; stay fair and balanced, and there is no problem.
  3. 九四臀无膚，其行次且。牽羊悔亡，聞言不信。No skin on the buttocks, walking with difficulty. Lead the sheep and regret fades. You hear these words but do not believe them.In shortRestless and hesitant; following others would spare regret, but you may not listen.
  4. 九三壯于頄，有凶。君子夬夬，獨行遇雨，若濡有慍，无咎。Strength in the cheekbones: misfortune. The noble person is firmly resolved, walks alone, meets rain and gets wet. There is anger, but no fault.In shortShowing anger openly is bad; act firmly on your own, even if misunderstood.
  5. 九二惕號，莫夜有戎，勿恤。Alarmed shouting. There are armed men in the night. Do not worry.In shortStay alert and prepared; even a surprise at night need not worry you.
  6. 初九壯于前趾，往不勝為咎。Strength in the front toes. Going but not winning is a fault.In shortYou want to push ahead too early; without enough strength, you fail and are at fault.

Sources Zhou Yi. English by TaoDial.