I Ching · King Wen 40
Hexagram 40: Deliverance
䷧ 解 Xiè · also called Release, Untangling, Relief · The Arousing above The Abysmal
The storm breaks and the tension releases: act quickly on what needs doing, forgive the rest, and return to normal.
releaseforgivenesshastereturnclearing
The meaning of Hexagram 40
Water below, thunder above: a thunderstorm clearing the air, the tension of Obstruction discharged. Deliverance is the moment after difficulty, when the knot is untied. The tradition's judgement has two parts: if there is nowhere further to go, return brings good fortune; if there is somewhere to go, haste brings good fortune. Either finish the release quickly or go back to ordinary life; do not linger in the aftermath. The image adds forgiveness: the wise person pardons mistakes and forgives misdeeds. The reading says the crisis is passing, and the task now is to clear up promptly and not to prolong what has already been resolved.
The image. Thunder and rain set in; the wise person pardons mistakes and forgives misdeeds.
- Advice
- Act promptly on what the release allows, forgive the rest, and return to ordinary life.
- Warning
- Prolonging the crisis after it has broken, or refusing to forgive, ties the knot again.
over
Structure: ☵ The Abysmal (Water) below, ☳ The Arousing (Thunder) above. Nuclear hexagram 63, After Completion. Every line reversed: 37, The Family.
Hexagram 40 for love and relationships
The tension has broken. Do what remains quickly and forgive what can be forgiven. Do not keep the argument alive after it is over. The reading favours a prompt return to ordinary warmth.
Hexagram 40 for career
The blockage has cleared. Act fast on the things that the clearing makes possible, then let the matter rest. Pardon errors made under pressure. Lingering over the crisis is the one thing that would restart it.
Hexagram 40 for money
Relief from a financial strain. Settle what needs settling quickly and return to normal management. Do not make dramatic moves in the euphoria of release.
Hexagram 40 for decisions
If there is something to do, do it promptly; if not, return to ordinary life. The reading is against dwelling. Choose the option that closes the matter cleanly and forgives what it can.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
The prince shoots at a hawk on a high wall and kills it. Everything furthers.
The last obstacle, powerful and entrenched, removed by a decisive act at the right moment. The hawk is the source of the trouble; the wall is its position; the shot is prepared and sure. Everything is freed.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 64, Before Completion. Read line 6 →
If only the superior person can deliver himself, it brings good fortune. He proves to the inferior that he is in earnest.
The one in authority who ends the entanglement by withdrawing from the inferior elements, and by that sincerity convinces them to withdraw too. Deliverance by example.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 47, Oppression. Read line 5 →
Deliver yourself from your big toe. Then the companion comes, and him you can trust.
Freeing yourself from a low attachment that has held you, so that a worthy companion can approach. The toe is what one is stuck to. Letting go of it makes room for real trust.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 7, The Army. Read line 4 →
If a person carries a burden on his back and yet rides in a carriage, robbers come. Persistence leads to humiliation.
Someone freed from difficulty who takes on airs that do not fit them, and invites attack by it. Comfort beyond one's standing after a release draws the wrong attention.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 32, Duration. Read line 3 →
One kills three foxes in the field and receives a yellow arrow. Persistence brings good fortune.
Removing the sly, flattering influences that fed the trouble, with the straight and balanced means of the yellow arrow. Deliverance includes clearing out what caused the entanglement. The line is firm and fair.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 16, Enthusiasm. Read line 2 →
Without blame.
The difficulty is just over and nothing needs to be done. The shortest line in the book: rest, and say nothing. Recovery begins with quiet.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 54, The Marrying Maiden. Read line 1 →
Related hexagrams
Cast your own reading
Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.
Ask the I Ching →Common questions
- What does I Ching Hexagram 40 mean?
- The storm breaks and the tension releases: act quickly on what needs doing, forgive the rest, and return to normal. Water below, thunder above: a thunderstorm clearing the air, the tension of Obstruction discharged. Deliverance is the moment after difficulty, when the knot is untied. The tradition's judgement has two parts: if there is nowhere further to go, return brings good fortune; if there is somewhere to go, haste brings good fortune. Either finish the release quickly or go back to ordinary life; do not linger in the aftermath. The image adds forgiveness: the wise person pardons mistakes and forgives misdeeds. The reading says the crisis is passing, and the task now is to clear up promptly and not to prolong what has already been resolved.
- What does Hexagram 40 mean for love?
- The tension has broken. Do what remains quickly and forgive what can be forgiven. Do not keep the argument alive after it is over. The reading favours a prompt return to ordinary warmth.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 40 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 54, The Marrying Maiden; line 2 gives Hexagram 16, Enthusiasm; line 3 gives Hexagram 32, Duration; line 4 gives Hexagram 7, The Army; line 5 gives Hexagram 47, Oppression; line 6 gives Hexagram 64, Before Completion. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 37, The Family.