Hexagram 43: Breakthrough
夬Guài
Speaking up, without picking a fight.
The passages below are historical language. Their references to fortune, danger, and the exemplary person belong to the text’s world. Our modern explanation is an invitation to reflect on your situation.
The Judgment
Classical Chinese
夬。 揚於王庭，孚號有厲。告自邑，不利即戎，利有攸往。
Our English rendering
Breakthrough. Proclaim it in the royal court. Call out in good faith; there is danger. Announce it from your own town. Taking up arms is unfavorable. It is favorable to have somewhere to go.
The Image
Classical Chinese
象曰：澤上於天，夬。君子以施祿及下，居德則忌。
Our English rendering
The lake rises above heaven: Breakthrough. A person of integrity distributes stipends to those below and guards against keeping virtue as a private possession.
Translation note: The Judgment's terse calls and announcements belong to an ancient political setting; their precise subject is unstated. The Image's final phrase is ambiguous. This rendering reads it as a warning against retaining virtue for oneself; it can also be read as caution against resting complacently in one's virtue.
A modern reading
The lake rises above heaven, placing accumulated water where it cannot be held indefinitely. Breakthrough concerns a situation that calls for a clear declaration and a change in what is being retained. The Judgment gives that declaration a public setting and keeps danger in view. It also warns against taking up arms. In reflection, consider what needs to be stated openly, what evidence supports it, and what action could follow without escalating the dispute into force.
The Image follows the outward movement of the water with the distribution of stipends to people below. A decision becomes more substantial when resources and responsibilities move with the words. Consider whether you are holding information, recognition, or support that others need to do their part. The warning about retained virtue also invites a check on self-regard. A claim to good character carries less practical weight than conduct that lets others benefit from your position.
A question to sit with
What needs a clear public statement, and what support or responsibility should move with that statement?
Source and method
The Judgment and Image are classical passages from the Book of Changes. The English rendering and modern explanation are Meow Ching’s editorial work. This page covers these two passages; it does not translate the six individual line texts.
Read the classical text on Wikisource · Our sources and method