King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Hexagram 43 夬 changing to hexagram 54 歸妹

guài
→
guī mèi

Changing lines (counted from the bottom): 3, 5.

What to read

Two changing lines: read both line texts of the original hexagram; the upper one is the main one. (Rule set out by Zhu Xi in the Yixue qimeng.)

Hexagram 43 夬, line 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.

Hexagram 43 夬, line 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.

The two hexagrams

Hexagram 43 夬 — 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.

Hexagram 54 歸妹 — judgment

征凶,无攸利。

Kwei Mei indicates that (under the conditions which it denotes) action will be evil, and in no wise advantageous.

The changing lines of hexagram 43

LineChineseLegge
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.
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.

English: James Legge (1882), public domain. Chinese: Zhou Yi.

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.