Hexagram 43: 夬 (guài)
Judgment
揚于王庭，孚號，有厲，告自邑，不利即戎，利有攸往。
Kwâi 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.
Commentary on the judgment (彖傳)
夬，決也，剛決柔也。健而說，決而和，揚于王庭，柔乘五剛也。孚號有厲，其危乃光也。告自邑，不利即戎，所尚乃窮也。利有攸往，剛長乃終也。
The image (大象)
澤上于天，夬；君子以施祿及下，居德則忌。
The six lines
| Line | Chinese | Legge | Changes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 – – | 无號，終有凶。 | The sixth line, divided, shows its subject without any (helpers) on whom to call. His end will be evil. | 1 |
| 5 — | 莧陸夬夬，中行无咎。 | The fifth line, undivided, shows (the small men like) a bed of purslain, which ought to be uprooted with the utmost determination. (The subject of the line having such determination), his action, in harmony with his central position, will lead to no error or blame. | 34 |
| 4 — | 臀无膚，其行次且。牽羊悔亡，聞言不信。 | The fourth line, undivided, shows one from whose buttocks the skin has been stripped, and who walks slowly and with difficulty. (If he could act) like a sheep led (after its companions), occasion for repentance would disappear. But though he hear these words, he will not believe them. | 5 |
| 3 — | 壯于頄，有凶。君子夬夬，獨行遇雨，若濡有慍，无咎。 | The third line, 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. | 58 |
| 2 — | 惕號，莫夜有戎，勿恤。 | The second line, undivided, shows its subject full of apprehension and appealing (for sympathy and help). Late at night hostile measures may be (taken against him), but he need not be anxious about them. | 49 |
| 1 — | 壯于前趾，往不勝為咎。 | The first line, undivided, shows its subject in (the pride of) strength advancing with his toes. He goes forward, but will not succeed. There will be ground for blame. | 28 |
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 44
- Opposite (every line changed): hexagram 23 · reading
- Nuclear (lines 2–4 and 3–5): hexagram 1
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
- 揚yángto flutter, to wave; to hoist, to raise;
- 于yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 王wángking, ruler; royal; surname
- 庭tíngcourt; courtyard; spacious hall or yard
- 孚fúto brood over eggs; to have confidence
- 號hàomark, sign; symbol; number; to call, to
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 厲lìwhetstone; to grind, to sharpen, to whet
- 告gàoto tell, to inform, to announce; to accu
- 自zìself; private, personal; from
- 邑yìarea, district, city, state
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
- 即jípromptly, quickly, immediately
- 戎róngarms, armaments; military affairs
- 攸yōudistant, far; adverbial prefix
- 往wǎngto go, to depart; past, former
- 壯zhuàngbig, large; robust, strong; the name of
- 前qiánin front, forward; former, preceding
- 趾zhǐtoe; tracks, footprints
- 勝shèngvictory; to excel, to truimph
- 為wèito do, to act; to handle, to govern; to
- 咎jiùfault, defect; error, mistake
- 惕tìcautious, careful, alert
- 莫mòcannot; do not; is not; negative
- 夜yènight, dark; under cover of night
- 勿wùmust not, do not; without, never
- 恤xùto help, to relieve, to take pity on
- 頄kuícheekbone
- 凶xiōngculprit; murder; bad, sad
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 夬guàidecisive, certain; parted; fork
- 獨dúalone, independent, only, single, solita
- 行xíngto go, to walk, to move; professional
- 遇yùto meet, to encounter, to come across
- 雨yǔrain
- 若ruòif, supposing, assuming; similar
- 濡rúto moisten, to immerse; wet, damp
- 慍yùnangry, indignant; resentful, sulking
- 无wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 臀túnbuttocks
- 膚fūskin; shallow, superficial
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 次cìorder, sequence; second, next; one after
- 且qiěmoreover, also (post-subject); about to,
- 牽qiānto drag, to pull, to lead by the hand
- 羊yángsheep, goat
- 悔huǐto regret, to repent, to show remorse
- 亡wángdeath, destruction; to lose; to perish
- 聞wénnews; to hear, to smell; to make known
- 言yánwords, speech; to speak, to say
- 信xìnto trust, to believe; letter, sign
- 莧xiànamaranth
- 陸lùland, continent; six (bankers' anti-frau
- 中zhōngcentral; center, middle; amidst; to hit
- 終zhōngend; finally, in the end
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.