Hexagram 23: Splitting Apart
Deterioration, letting go
| Chinese | 剝 (Bō) |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☶ Mountain — Keeping Still (Earth) |
| Lower trigram | ☷ Earth — The Receptive (Earth) |
| Keywords | decay, letting go, acceptance, timing |
| Opposite | Hexagram 43: Breakthrough |
| Inverted | Hexagram 24: Return |
What does Hexagram 23 (Splitting Apart) mean?
Splitting Apart 剝 (Bō) is hexagram 23 of the I Ching, formed by Mountain (Keeping Still) over Earth (The Receptive). Its theme is deterioration, letting go, with key ideas of decay, letting go, acceptance, timing. The Judgment reads: “Splitting Apart. It does not further one to go anywhere.”
The Judgment of Splitting Apart
Splitting Apart. It does not further one to go anywhere.
The Image of Splitting Apart
The mountain rests on the earth.
The six changing lines of Hexagram 23
When a casting produces moving lines, their texts speak directly to your situation. Read from the bottom line upward.
Six at the beginning
“The leg of the bed is split. Those who persevere are destroyed. Misfortune.”
The base of stability is being eroded; those who cling to the structure as it collapses share in its ruin.
Six in the second place
“The bed is split at the edge. Those who persevere are destroyed. Misfortune.”
Deterioration spreads upward; the margins of security give way. Continuing on the same course becomes increasingly dangerous.
Six in the third place
“He splits with them. No blame.”
Separating from those who are in the grip of dissolution is not disloyalty but self-preservation and integrity.
Six in the fourth place
“The bed is split up to the skin. Misfortune.”
The disintegration has reached the person themselves; the situation is now directly threatening and deeply serious.
Six in the fifth place
“A shoal of fishes. Favor comes through the court ladies. Everything acts to further.”
Those aligned with the one remaining power — even in subordinate positions — receive its protection and blessing.
Nine at the top
“There is a large fruit still uneaten. The superior man receives a carriage. The house of the inferior man is split apart.”
What is genuine and wholesome survives the splitting apart and is carried forward. The worthy inherit what remains; the unworthy lose even their shelter.
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