Also known as Breakthrough, Resoluteness, Displacement.
The character 夬 means to decide, to part or to break through. Hexagram 43 is about the moment to remove a last bad influence. Five strong lines push up against a single weak one at the top. The breakthrough is coming, and it needs to be made openly and honestly, not by force.
The figure
Lake over Heaven. The lake has risen into the sky and is about to burst like a cloudburst. Strength from below presses against one remaining weak point above. It is the reverse of hexagram 44.
The judgment
Say it openly at court. Call it out honestly, and know it is dangerous. Tell your own town first. Do not go straight to force. It pays to set out.
Name the problem in public, in plain terms. Begin with your own side, and win by being right, not by fighting.
The image
The marsh risen up into the sky, about to break. Pass what you have downward, and do not sit on it.
When things are about to break, share what you have. Hoarding at a tipping point invites the collapse.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. Strong in the front of the feet, eager to march. Setting off when you're not up to it is an error.
- Line 2. A shout of warning; arms kept ready from dusk through the dark. Don't be afraid. Preparation removes the danger.
- Line 3. Strength showing in the cheekbones. It goes badly. The person of character walks alone with firm resolve, gets caught in the rain and splashed, and people grumble. Nothing is held against you in the end.
- Line 4. The skin is gone from the thighs, and every step is hard. Being led along quietly, the way a flock is, would end the regret. But this advice, when given, won't be taken.
- Line 5. Pulling weeds takes firm resolve. Keeping to the middle, nothing is held against you.
- Line 6, at the top. No warning cry. It ends badly. A problem left unnamed comes back.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 43 says it's time to deal with the last thing in the way. Be resolute, say it openly and start with your own people. Prepare well and don't use force as your first move.