Hexagram 23 of 64
剝
Splitting Apart
Bō
Upper Trigram
艮
Mountain
Keeping Still, Resting
Mountain · Youngest Son
Lower Trigram
坤
Earth
Receptive, Yielding
Ground · Mother
The Judgment
Splitting Apart. It does not further to go anywhere.
The dark forces have eroded all but the topmost line of light. The superior person reads the signs and does not attempt to swim against this current. This is a time to hold still, to preserve what remains, and to wait for the natural turning.
The Image
The mountain rests on the earth — the image of Splitting Apart. Thus those above can ensure their position only by giving generously to those below.
Even the mountain depends on the earth beneath. Leaders who ignore the wellbeing of those they lead will find their foundation eroded. Generosity is both wisdom and self-preservation.
The Six Lines
Line 1
The leg of the bed is split. Those who persevere are destroyed. Misfortune.
The foundation is being undermined. Clinging to what cannot hold is not persistence — it is blindness.
Line 2
The bed frame is split. Those who persevere are destroyed. Misfortune.
The deterioration rises further. The situation is more serious and demands clearer recognition.
Line 3
He splits with them. No blame.
Separating from those who are the cause of the disintegration is the right and blameless choice.
Line 4
The bed is split up to the skin. Misfortune.
Deterioration has reached the person themselves. The danger is immediate and serious.
Line 5
A shoal of fishes. Favor comes through the palace ladies. Everything acts to further.
Even in dissolution, a nurturing force remains. Follow it. Yin forces now lead the way to recovery.
Line 6
There is a large fruit still uneaten. The superior person receives a carriage. The house of the inferior person is split apart.
Even at the extreme of disintegration, a seed of renewal remains. The virtuous person is carried forward; those who caused the collapse suffer its full consequence.
For contemplation and self-reflection only. Not a substitute for professional advice.