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Hexagram 43: Guai (夬) — Breakthrough
Hexagram 43, Guai (夬) — Breakthrough, is the forty-third figure of the I Ching, composed of the Lake trigram over the Heaven trigram; the ancients read it as resolution against a last remaining obstacle.
Meaning
Guai is the hexagram of the decisive break. Five firm lines rise together against a single yielding line at the top, and the old readers saw all the forces of the situation gathered to remove one last obstruction. The judgment insists on openness: the matter must be made known at the court of the king and announced truthfully. A breakthrough, the text says, is not a thing done in secret; it must be declared.
Read against a long-running struggle at work, the figure describes the final push against an obstacle that has stood for years. The lines are full of the danger of doing this badly — a cry of alarm, arms at evening and night, the superior man walking alone in the rain. Even a righteous removal is dangerous if carried out with force alone, and firmness must be joined to fairness or the victory sours.
For a harmful tie that must be ended, Guai was read as the breaking of the bond. The fifth line, about dealing with weeds, makes the point that firm resolution is necessary — a thing that is rooted must be pulled up, not trimmed. Ending something bad is rarely clean or comfortable, but lingering over it only lets it grow back.
Within a cycle, this figure marks the moment of final action. The forces have gathered and the choice can no longer be deferred. The image of the lake above heaven is the book's picture of pressure risen to the point of overflow — a season for the decisive, openly declared step that clears the way ahead.
The Judgment
“Breakthrough. One must resolutely make the matter known at the court of the king. It must be announced truthfully.”
The Six Lines of Breakthrough
Line 1Mighty in the forward-striding toes. When one goes and is not equal to the task, one makes a mistake.
Line 2A cry of alarm. Arms at evening and at night. Fear nothing.
Line 3To be powerful in the cheekbones brings misfortune. The superior man is firmly resolved. He walks alone and is caught in the rain.
Line 4There is no skin on his thighs, and walking comes hard. If a man would let himself be led like a sheep, remorse disappears.
Line 5In dealing with weeds, firm resolution is necessary. Walking in the middle remains free of blame.
Line 6No cry. In the end misfortune comes.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How is Hexagram 43 put together?
Guai (夬) places the Lake trigram (Dui, 兑) above the Heaven trigram (Qian, 乾). A lake raised above the sky was the ancients' image of pressure gathered to the point of overflowing — the visual root of the meaning of breakthrough.
Why does Hexagram 43 insist on making the matter known at court?
The judgment says the matter must be announced truthfully at the court of the king. The old commentaries explain that a decisive break carried out in secret breeds resentment and suspicion — openness is what keeps a just removal from being mistaken for an injustice.
What is meant by dealing with weeds?
The fifth line speaks of weeds that require firm resolution. The commentators read it as counsel about a rooted problem: you cannot get rid of something deeply established by trimming the surface — it must be pulled up whole, however difficult that is.
Related
Source: Judgment and line texts follow the Wilhelm/Baynes rendering of the Yijing.
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