泽天夬
Hexagram 43 describes a moment of decisive breakthrough — the point where accumulated strength finally overcomes a persistent obstacle or removes a harmful influence. The counsel is to act with resolution and openness, making the case publicly rather than through secret maneuvering, and to remain vigilant even after the breakthrough is achieved.
夬：扬于王庭，孚号，有厉。告自邑，不利即戎，利有攸往。
以刚决柔、当断则断：在朝廷上公开揭露，诚信号令、警惕危险；不宜动用武力硬拼，利于以正道向前推进。
Interpretive translationBreakthrough. One must resolutely make the matter known at the court of the king. It must be announced truthfully. Danger. It is necessary to notify one's own city. It does not further to resort to arms; it furthers one to undertake something.
彖曰：夬，决也，刚决柔也。健而说，决而和，扬于王庭，柔乘五刚也。孚号有厉，其危乃光也。告自邑，不利即戎，所尚乃穷也。利有攸往，刚长乃终也。
象曰：泽上于天，夬；君子以施禄及下，居德则忌。
泽水升于天上，势必决而下注；君子效法它，把福禄施给下方——自居其德而不施，是君子所忌。
壮于前趾，往不胜为咎。
象曰：不胜而往，咎也。
Mighty in the forward-striding toes. To go without being equal to the task brings blame.
惕号，莫夜有戎，勿恤。
象曰：有戎勿恤，得中道也。
A cry of alarm. Armed at evening and at night. Fear nothing.
壮于頄，有凶。君子夬夬，独行遇雨，若濡有愠，无咎。
象曰：君子夬夬，终无咎也。
To be powerful in the cheekbones brings misfortune. The superior man is firmly resolved: he walks alone, is caught in the rain and bespattered, people murmur against him — no blame.
臀无肤，其行次且。牵羊悔亡，闻言不信。
象曰：其行次且，位不当也。闻言不信，聪不明也。
There is no skin on his thighs, and walking comes hard. If a man were to let himself be led like a sheep, remorse would disappear — but hearing these words, he does not believe them.
苋陆夬夬，中行无咎。
象曰：中行无咎，中未光也。
Dealing resolutely with the weed of the highland: if one walks in the middle, no blame.
无号，终有凶。
象曰：无号之凶，终不可长也。
No cry. In the end, misfortune comes.
Structure
Guài is formed by Lake (Dui ☱) above Heaven (Qian ☰). The lake rises above heaven — water accumulating above the sky, about to break through. Five strong yang lines press upward against a single yin line at the top. The lower trigrams represent accumulated strength and creative power; the single yin at the top represents the last remnant of what must be overcome. Together they depict a situation where the breakthrough is imminent but not yet complete, and where the manner of the final resolution matters enormously.
Judgment and Image
The Judgment states: Breakthrough. One must resolutely make the matter known at the court of the king. It must be announced truthfully. Danger. It is necessary to notify one's own city. It does not further to resort to arms. It furthers one to undertake something. The Image shows the lake risen above heaven — the superior person bestows riches on those below and refrains from resting on their virtue. The emphasis on public announcement and truthfulness is striking: the breakthrough must be achieved through legitimate means, not through force or manipulation.
Core meaning
The central teaching of Guài is that decisive action must be grounded in principle. When the moment comes to remove what is harmful or to break through what has been blocking progress, the temptation is to use whatever means are available — including force, manipulation, or secret maneuvering. The hexagram warns against this. The breakthrough achieved through improper means creates new problems even as it solves old ones.
The hexagram counsels a specific approach: make the matter known openly, state the case truthfully, build genuine support, and act through legitimate channels. This is slower and more demanding than simply overpowering the obstacle, but it produces a resolution that actually holds rather than one that merely suppresses the problem temporarily.
In Liuyao readings, Guài often appears when the querent is facing a situation that requires decisive action — the removal of a harmful influence, the resolution of a long-standing conflict, or the final push to complete something important. The hexagram asks whether they are prepared to act with both resolution and integrity, and whether they have built the support and legitimacy needed for the breakthrough to be sustainable.
The hexagram also warns against complacency after the breakthrough. The lake that has broken through must continue to flow; the superior person who has achieved something must not rest on their virtue but continue to act generously and responsibly. Victory is not a destination but a new starting point.
In personal development, Guài can indicate the moment to finally address something that has been avoided — a difficult conversation, a necessary change, or the release of a harmful pattern. The strength is there; the question is whether it will be used wisely.
In divination
When Guài appears in a reading, it signals that decisive action is both possible and necessary. For career questions, it may indicate the moment to make a bold move, address a difficult situation directly, or push through a final obstacle. For relationship questions, it may counsel bringing a difficult issue into the open rather than allowing it to fester.
Guài is favorable for decisive action, open communication, and the resolution of long-standing problems. It is unfavorable for secrecy, manipulation, or the use of force without principle.
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