Guai · Breakthrough

The meaning

What the name means Guai is deciding, making a firm decision.

The picture A lake rising to the sky, the water full and about to break its bank, so what was held back is said openly.

The sense of the whole The whole hexagram is about having to decide. A matter has dragged on until it needs a settlement: speak plainly and use steady methods. Do not rely on anger; rely on openness and reason.

In plain words: what this hexagram says

A thing has to be said outright and brought to an end. Say it in the open, not behind backs, and do not push too hard.

The upper trigram is Lake and the lower is Heaven: Lake above, Heaven below. When you read it, first picture the two together as a scene, then set it against the original below. The plain words speak only of stance and do not foretell.

The judgement

揚於王庭，孚號，有厲，告自邑，不利即戎，利有攸往。

The image

澤上於天，夬；君子以施祿及下，居德則忌。

The six lines

From the bottom up, the first line is the lowest. When you cast this hexagram and a line is changing, read the matching one. The original is classical Chinese.

1. 初九壯於前趾，往不勝為咎。
2. 九二惕號，莫夜有戎，勿恤。
3. 九三壯於頄，有兇。君子夬夬獨行，遇雨若濡，有慍無咎。
4. 九四臀無膚，其行次且。牽羊悔亡，聞言不信。
5. 九五莧陸夬夬，中行無咎。
6. 上六無號，終有兇。

To learn how to read a hexagram, see "How to read a hexagram"; for changing lines, see "Changing lines and the resulting hexagram".