I Ching hexagram 23

I Ching hexagram 23: Splitting Apart

剥 bō · a mountain above earth

A bed stripped from the legs up, a mountain worn down: decline is underway, so hold still and keep the seed.

The judgment: It does not pay to go anywhere.
"Po indicates that (in the state which it symbolises) it will not be advantageous to make a movement in any direction whatever."
James Legge's translation, 1882
What it says to you: Five broken lines push up under a single firm one, like a mountain wearing down into the flat ground that holds it. The lines show a bed being stripped from its legs, then the frame, then the skin of the sleeper. This is a hard hexagram and there is no point pretending otherwise: things are coming apart, and pushing harder will not stop them. The judgment says one thing only. It does not pay to go anywhere. So don't. Keep still, keep low, reinforce what you stand on, and spend nothing on fights you cannot win. The comfort is in the top line, a great fruit that nobody eats. Its seed survives the fall and becomes next season's tree. Your task is to be that fruit: keep your integrity whole until the time turns, as the next hexagram says it will.

Matter by matter

Love: A bond is eroding. Don't force a confrontation now; protect what is good and let the storm pass.
Work: Undermining or decline around you. Keep your head down, avoid big moves, and protect your core.
Money: A losing stretch. Avoid new ventures, preserve what you have, and wait for conditions to turn.
A yes or no question: No. The text says plainly that it does not pay to go anywhere. Hold still.

The six lines of Splitting Apart

A hexagram is built from the bottom up, so the first line is the lowest. You read a line's text only when your cast made it a moving line.

Bottom line, broken

The bed is split at the legs. Integrity is cast aside. Misfortune.

The damage starts at the foundations, quietly, where few look: a lost ally, a small betrayal. If principles are being dropped as well, trouble follows. Shore up your base before anything else.
Second line, broken

The bed is split at the frame. Integrity is cast aside. Misfortune.

The erosion has climbed higher, and you are more exposed. Support is falling away. Be careful, keep your own standards intact, and do not wait for help to arrive by itself.
Third line, broken

Splitting it apart. No harm.

You are among those doing the stripping, or caught up with them, yet you keep faith with the one good person above. Siding with what is right, even from inside the wrong crowd, keeps you clear.
Fourth line, broken

The bed is split down to the skin. Misfortune.

The danger is no longer near you; it is touching you. This is the low point. Protect yourself directly, step away from what is hurting you, and expect it to cost something.
Fifth line, broken

Fish strung on a line. Favor like that shown to the palace ladies. Nothing fails to benefit.

Things turn. The many weak forces line up in order behind someone worthy, like fish on a string, and win favor by serving well. Organize what you have and offer it to a good leader.
Top line, solid

A great fruit left uneaten. The noble person gains a carriage; the petty person tears down his own house.

You are what survives. Kept whole, you become the seed of renewal, and people will carry you forward. Those who spent their energy tearing down end up wrecking the roof over their own heads.

About hexagram 23

What does I Ching hexagram 23 mean?

Hexagram 23, Splitting Apart, puts a mountain above earth. A bed stripped from the legs up, a mountain worn down: decline is underway, so hold still and keep the seed. Its judgment reads: It does not pay to go anywhere.

Is hexagram 23 a yes or a no?

No. The text says plainly that it does not pay to go anywhere. Hold still.

What does hexagram 23 mean for love?

A bond is eroding. Don't force a confrontation now; protect what is good and let the storm pass.

What does hexagram 23 mean for work?

Undermining or decline around you. Keep your head down, avoid big moves, and protect your core.

Cast the coins for a new question , or for a straight yes or no, throw the moon blocks

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The judgment and lines are rendered from the Chinese text; the quoted judgment is Legge's 1882 translation, and every other English line is Jade Almanac's own. A cast is a prompt for reflection, not advice about health, money or the law.