Hexagram 40, line 1
初六Line 1 of Release
Six at the beginning · 解 xiè
爻辭 The line text
无咎。The first line, divided, shows that its subject will commit no error.
剛柔之際，義无咎也。The strong (fourth) line and the weak line here are in correlation:—we judge rightly in saying that 'its subject will commit no error.'
In plain words
The text is two characters long: no fault. At the bottom of Xie the danger of Kan has just been passed and the thunder of Zhen has just begun to move; line one is yin in a yang place — not correct, which would ordinarily be a mark against it — but it corresponds to the strong line at four, and the small Image says that is enough: 'where the firm and the yielding meet, it is right that there is no fault' (剛柔之際，義無咎). Nothing is asked of this line. After a difficulty has broken, the first thing to do is nothing, and the first line does it.
If this line is changing
The pressure has just lifted; do not rush to fill the space with new action, and do not look for something to fix. Let the release be a release.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin line that moves when cast.
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 坎 Kan (the Abysmal) (water).
- It corresponds (應) with line 4: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
解 Release becomes ䷵ 54 歸妹 Marrying the Younger Sister
Thunder over the lake: the younger sister married as a secondary wife. Undertakings bring misfortune; nothing is favourable — a relationship or position entered on unequal terms must be managed with great care.
What it becomes54 · 歸妹 Marrying the Younger Sisterguī mèiThe six lines of 解 Release
- 初六Six at the beginningno fault · where hard meets soft · simply rest
- 九二Nine in the second placethree foxes · the yellow arrow · the straight middle way
- 六三Six in the third placea porter in a carriage · inviting robbers · self-inflicted
- 九四Nine in the fourth placerelease your toe · letting go of the unworthy · friends come
- 六五Six in the fifth placethe superior person unties · small people withdraw · trust shown
- 上六Six at the topshooting the hawk · the high wall · removing the last rebel
Read 解 Release for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six at the beginning of hexagram 40, Release, mean?
- The text is two characters long: no fault. At the bottom of Xie the danger of Kan has just been passed and the thunder of Zhen has just begun to move; line one is yin in a yang place — not correct, which would ordinarily be a mark against it — but it corresponds to the strong line at four, and the small Image says that is enough: 'where the firm and the yielding meet, it is right that there is no fault' (剛柔之際，義無咎). Nothing is asked of this line. After a difficulty has broken, the first thing to do is nothing, and the first line does it.
- What does hexagram 40 become when line 1 changes?
- Release becomes hexagram 54, 歸妹 Marrying the Younger Sister: Thunder over the lake: the younger sister married as a secondary wife. Undertakings bring misfortune; nothing is favourable — a relationship or position entered on unequal terms must be managed with great care.
- Is line 1 of Release in its correct place?
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).