Hexagram 43, Guài (Breakthrough): Line 3

夬卦九三 · 泽天夬 · 中文版

九三:壮于頄,有凶。君子夬夬,独行遇雨,若濡有愠,无咎。

The line (Legge)

The third NINE, undivided, shows its subject (about to advance) with strong (and determined) looks. There will be evil. (But) the superior man, bent on cutting off (the criminal), will walk alone and encounter the rain, (till he be hated by his proper associates) as if he were contaminated (by the others). (In the end) there will be no blame against him.

Small Image commentary

'The superior man looks bent on cutting off the culprit:' - there will in the end be no error.

象曰:君子夬夬,终无咎也。

In plain words

Strength shows in the cheekbones: misfortune. The noble person is resolute about removing the petty; walking alone he meets rain, gets soaked and is resented, but there is no fault. The third line corresponds to the top line and deals with it alone, and is misunderstood; as long as its resolve is firm, there is no fault in the end. The Small Image says the resolute noble person is finally without fault.

Applying it to your situation

If you must deal with something that calls for firmness, this line suggests not letting your anger show on your face. When you are misunderstood, can you keep your feelings steady first?

Position

A solid (yang) line in the third place, which is a yang (odd) place, so it is in its proper place. Its partner is line 6; one is yin and the other yang, so they respond to each other.

If this line moves

With this line moving alone, Guài changes into Hexagram 58 Duì (The Joyous Lake). The Jiaoshi Yilin verse for this change (Chinese): 焦氏易林·夬之兑.

The hexagram

Hexagram 43 Guài (Breakthrough). The Judgment: Guai requires (in him who would fulfil its meaning) the exhibition (of the culprit's guilt) in the royal court, and a sincere and earnest appeal (for sympathy and support), with a consciousness of the peril (involved in cutting off the criminal). He should (also) make announcement in his own city, and show that it will not be well to have recourse at once to arms. (In this way) there will be advantage in whatever he shall go forward to.

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English text: James Legge, The Yi King (Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16, 1882), public domain, as transcribed by the Chinese Text Project. Chinese: the received text. Offered for study and reflection, not as prediction. Plain-English readings and position notes by this site.

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