I Ching Reading

Hexagram 40: Deliverance

解 · Xiè · Thunder over Water

releasereliefresolutionmoving on

Deliverance (解, Xiè) is hexagram 40 of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, in the traditional King Wen order. It is made of Thunder (☳) above Water (☵).

Meaning of hexagram 40

Tension breaks like a storm clearing the air. Problems loosen, and the best response is to act quickly and then let them go.

Advice

Deal with what remains, forgive readily, and return to normal life.

The two trigrams

Deliverance places ☳ Thunder (Zhèn), arousing, sudden and energetic, above ☵ Water (Kǎn), deep, flowing and dangerous. The lower trigram is the inner side of the situation and the upper one its outer side.

Hexagram
40. Deliverance
Chinese name
解 Xiè
Upper trigram
☳ Thunder (Zhèn)
Lower trigram
☵ Water (Kǎn)
Lines
2 yang (solid) and 4 yin (broken)
Place in the sequence
40 of 64 (King Wen order)

The six lines of Deliverance

A hexagram is read from the bottom line up. In a reading, a changing line (a 6 or a 9 in the three-coin method) draws attention to its position.

  1. First line (yin, broken): the beginning. The root of the matter: early stirrings, foundations, and what has not yet shown itself.
  2. Second line (yang, solid): the inner circle. Your immediate surroundings and steady supports: how things work at close range.
  3. Third line (yin, broken): the threshold. A point of tension between inner and outer, often a test or a restless push forward.
  4. Fourth line (yang, solid): the approach. Stepping into wider circles or nearer to authority; caution and good relationships matter here.
  5. Fifth line (yin, broken): the center of power. The place of influence and clear leadership: where the situation is most fully expressed.
  6. Sixth line (yin, broken): the culmination. The far edge of the situation: completion, overreach, or letting go.

Related hexagrams