Hexagram 40: 解 (jiě)
Judgment
利西南，无所往，其來復吉。有攸往，夙吉。
In (the state indicated by) Kieh advantage will be found in the south-west. If no (further) operations be called for, there will be good fortune in coming back (to the old conditions). If some operations be called for, there will be good fortune in the early conducting of them.
Commentary on the judgment (彖傳)
解，險以動，動而免乎險，解。解利西南，往得眾也。其來復吉，乃得中也。有攸往夙吉，往有功也。天地解，而雷雨作，雷雨作，而百果草木皆甲坼，解之時義大矣哉！
The image (大象)
雷雨作，解；君子以赦過宥罪。
The six lines
| Line | Chinese | Legge | Changes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 – – | 公用射隼，于高墉之上，獲之，无不利。 | In the sixth line, divided, we see a feudal prince (with his bow) shooting at a falcon on the top of a high wall, and hitting it. (The effect of his action) will be in every way advantageous. | 64 |
| 5 – – | 君子惟有解，吉；有孚于小人。 | The fifth line, divided, shows (its subject), the superior man ( = the ruler), executing his function of removing (whatever is injurious to the idea of the hexagram), in which case there will be good fortune, and confidence in him will be shown even by the small men. | 47 |
| 4 — | 解而拇，朋至斯孚。 | (To the subject of) the fourth line, undivided, (it is said), 'Remove your toes. Friends will (then) come, between you and whom there will be mutual confidence' | 7 |
| 3 – – | 負且乘，致寇至，貞吝。 | The third line, divided, shows a porter with his burden, (yet) riding in a carriage. He will (only) tempt robbers to attack him. However firm and correct he may (try to) be, there will be cause for regret. | 32 |
| 2 — | 田獲三狐，得黃矢，貞吉。 | The second line, undivided, shows its subject catch, in hunting, three foxes, and obtain the yellow ( = golden) arrows. With firm correctness there will be good fortune. | 16 |
| 1 – – | 无咎。 | The first line, divided, shows that its subject will commit no error. | 54 |
Lines are numbered from the bottom. Each line page shows the line text with its small image commentary; each “changes to” link opens the reading for that changing line.
Related hexagrams
- Inverse (lines in reverse order): hexagram 39
- Opposite (every line changed): hexagram 37 · reading
- Nuclear (lines 2–4 and 3–5): hexagram 63
English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East vol. 16 (1882) — public domain; OCR text of the 1882 printing, checked against the proofread hexagrams. Chinese: Zhou Yi from Chinese Wikisource.
Character glossary
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
- 西xīwest, western, westward
- 南nánsouth; southern; southward
- 无wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 所suǒplace, location; "that which", a particl
- 往wǎngto go, to depart; past, former
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 來láito arrive, to come, to return; in the fu
- 復fùagain, repeatedly; copy, duplicate; to r
- 吉jílucky, propitious, good
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 攸yōudistant, far; adverbial prefix
- 夙sùdawn, early in the morning; previous; lo
- 咎jiùfault, defect; error, mistake
- 田tiánfield, farm, arable land; cultivated
- 獲huòto get, to obtain, to receive, to sieze
- 三sānthree
- 狐húfox
- 得déto obtain, to get, to acquire; suitable,
- 黃huángyellow; surname
- 矢shǐarrow, dart; to vow, to swear
- 貞zhēnvirtuous, chaste, pure; loyal
- 負fùload, burden; to carry, to bear
- 且qiěmoreover, also (post-subject); about to,
- 乘chéngride, mount; to make use of; to ascend;
- 致zhìto send; to present, to deliver; to caus
- 寇kòubandit, thief; enemy; to invade
- 至zhìreach, arrive; very, extremely
- 吝lìnstingy, miserly; parsimonious
- 解jiěto explain; to loosen; to unfasten, to u
- 而érand, and then, and yet; but
- 拇mǔthumb; big toe
- 朋péngfriend, pal, acquaintance
- 斯sīthis, thus, such; emphatic particle; use
- 孚fúto brood over eggs; to have confidence
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 惟wéibut, however, nevertheless; only
- 于yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 人rénman, person; people
- 公gōngfair, equitable; public; duke
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 射shèto shoot, to eject, to emit
- 隼sǔnfalcon, eagle; an aquiline nose
- 高gāotall, lofty; high, elevated
- 墉yōngwall; fortification
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 上shàngabove, on top, superior; to go up; to at
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.