I Ching hexagram 43

I Ching hexagram 43: Breakthrough

夬 guài · a lake above heaven

The lake has risen to the sky and must break: speak the truth in the open, firmly, without reaching for weapons.

The judgment: Expose it in the king's court; cry out sincerely, aware of the danger. Announce it to your own town. Rushing to arms is unfavorable. Going forward is favorable.
"Kwai 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."
James Legge's translation, 1882
What it says to you: Water is piled up above heaven, a lake lifted to the sky, which can only mean one thing: it is going to break. Five solid lines push up against one weak line at the top, the last bit of something that has to go. Breakthrough is about removing it, and the judgment is precise about method. Make it known openly, in the king's court. Speak sincerely and know the risk. Tell your own people first. And don't reach for weapons. The resolution comes from the truth being said plainly in the right place. The lines show the wrong ways: rushing out on eager toes, anger flaring in your face. The right way is like pulling a weed by the root, steady and complete. If you have something to bring into the open, write down plainly what is wrong, and say it to the right people.

Matter by matter

Love: Say what needs saying, honestly and calmly. A frank conversation clears it; ultimatums don't.
Work: Raise the problem through proper channels, with evidence. Avoid confrontation and office warfare.
Money: Make a clean, decisive break from a bad arrangement; do it openly and by the rules.
A yes or no question: Yes, with a condition: proceed openly and peacefully, without forcing it.

The six lines of Breakthrough

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, solid

Strength in the forward toes. Going out without the power to win is a mistake.

You are eager to strike first, but you are not ready to win. Starting a fight you can't finish makes things worse. Build your case and your support before you move.
Second line, solid

Alert, crying out a warning. Armed men at evening and in the night, but no need to worry.

Stay watchful and say what you see. If trouble comes when you least expect it, your preparation will carry you through. This calls for vigilance, and there is no need for anxiety.
Third line, solid

Strength in the cheekbones: misfortune. The noble person is resolute, resolute. Walking alone, he meets the rain and gets soaked; people resent him, but no mistake.

Showing your anger on your face backfires. Stay resolved but quiet. You may have to walk alone and get drenched dealing with the other side; others may misjudge you, but you are not at fault.
Fourth line, solid

No skin on his buttocks, he walks haltingly. If he let himself be led like a sheep, regret would vanish. He hears these words but does not believe them.

You can't sit still and can't move forward. If you let others lead for a while, things would ease. The hard part is believing that advice. Try it anyway.
Fifth line, solid

Like purslane pulled up by the roots, resolute, resolute. Walking the middle path, no mistake.

Remove the problem completely, the way you would pull a stubborn weed up by the root. Do it steadily and fairly, without excess or spite, and you will be in the clear.
Top line, broken

No cry of warning. In the end, misfortune.

Something is ending, and no one is sounding the alarm. Don't rely on the silence. If you ignore the warning signs now, the end will come harder than it needed to.

About hexagram 43

What does I Ching hexagram 43 mean?

Hexagram 43, Breakthrough, puts a lake above heaven. The lake has risen to the sky and must break: speak the truth in the open, firmly, without reaching for weapons. Its judgment reads: Expose it in the king's court; cry out sincerely, aware of the danger. Announce it to your own town. Rushing to arms is unfavorable. Going forward is favorable.

Is hexagram 43 a yes or a no?

Yes, with a condition: proceed openly and peacefully, without forcing it.

What does hexagram 43 mean for love?

Say what needs saying, honestly and calmly. A frank conversation clears it; ultimatums don't.

What does hexagram 43 mean for work?

Raise the problem through proper channels, with evidence. Avoid confrontation and office warfare.

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.