I Ching · King Wen 59
Hexagram 59: Dispersion
䷺ 渙 Huàn · also called Dissolution, Scattering, Dispersing · The Gentle above The Abysmal
Wind over water dissolving what has frozen: egotism, rigidity and division scattered, and people gathered again around what is sacred.
dissolutionreunionreleasethe sacredopenness
The meaning of Hexagram 59
Water below, wind above: wind moving over water, breaking up the ice and scattering the mist. Dispersion describes the dissolving of what has hardened: selfishness that separates people, blockages in feeling, factions in a group. The tradition's judgement is that the king approaches his temple, that it furthers to cross the great water, and that persistence furthers. The dispersion of division is followed by a gathering around something shared and sacred. The reading says the time is for dissolving what divides, in yourself first, and that large undertakings become possible once the ice has broken.
The image. Wind over water; the ancient kings offered sacrifice and built temples.
- Advice
- Dissolve what divides, beginning with your own rigidity, and gather people again around what is shared.
- Warning
- Dispersion without a centre to gather around scatters everyone and reunites no one.
over
Structure: ☵ The Abysmal (Water) below, ☴ The Gentle (Wind) above. Nuclear hexagram 27, Nourishment. Every line reversed: 55, Abundance.
Hexagram 59 for love and relationships
Something frozen between you is ready to thaw. Dissolve your own hardness first: the pride, the grievance, the position you have been holding. Then gather again around what you share. The reading is favourable to reconciliation and to the large step afterwards.
Hexagram 59 for career
Breaking up factions, thawing a frozen team, dissolving the egotism that has separated people. The reading favours the leader who does this by gathering people around a shared purpose rather than by force, and it supports a large undertaking once the division is gone.
Hexagram 59 for money
Dispersing accumulated blockages: stuck capital, hoarded resources, rigid arrangements. The reading favours letting resources flow toward a shared purpose, and supports the big move once they do.
Hexagram 59 for decisions
Choose the option that dissolves division and reunites people around something they hold in common. The reading supports crossing the great water after the ice breaks; decide in that order.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
He dissolves his blood. Departing, keeping at a distance, going out, is without blame.
Removing oneself and one's own from a danger, wound and all. Dispersion here is distance from harm. The line permits withdrawal to keep those close to you safe.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 29, The Abysmal. Read line 6 →
His loud cries are as dissolving as sweat. Dissolution. A king abides without blame.
The leader whose great idea, proclaimed at the moment of crisis, dissolves the division as sweat breaks a fever. The centre that everyone can gather around. The line describes the word that reunites.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 4, Youthful Folly. Read line 5 →
He dissolves his bond with his group. Supreme good fortune. Dispersion leads to accumulation. This is something ordinary people do not think of.
Leaving the faction for the sake of the whole, and finding that the loss of the small group is the gain of the larger one. The line calls it supreme good fortune and notes that few see it that way.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 6, Conflict. Read line 4 →
He dissolves his self. No remorse.
Giving up personal interest for the sake of the larger task. The self scattered so that the work can be done. The line is the hexagram's core act and it carries no regret.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 57, The Gentle. Read line 3 →
At the dissolution he hurries to that which supports him. Remorse disappears.
Estranged and bitter, the person turns back to what is stable and supportive rather than nursing the alienation. Moderation, and a return to the reliable. The line removes the regret.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 20, Contemplation. Read line 2 →
He brings help with the strength of a horse. Good fortune.
Acting at the first sign of division, energetically, before it hardens. The horse is the strength to move quickly. The line favours prompt intervention while the split is small.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 61, Inner Truth. 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 59 mean?
- Wind over water dissolving what has frozen: egotism, rigidity and division scattered, and people gathered again around what is sacred. Water below, wind above: wind moving over water, breaking up the ice and scattering the mist. Dispersion describes the dissolving of what has hardened: selfishness that separates people, blockages in feeling, factions in a group. The tradition's judgement is that the king approaches his temple, that it furthers to cross the great water, and that persistence furthers. The dispersion of division is followed by a gathering around something shared and sacred. The reading says the time is for dissolving what divides, in yourself first, and that large undertakings become possible once the ice has broken.
- What does Hexagram 59 mean for love?
- Something frozen between you is ready to thaw. Dissolve your own hardness first: the pride, the grievance, the position you have been holding. Then gather again around what you share. The reading is favourable to reconciliation and to the large step afterwards.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 59 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 61, Inner Truth; line 2 gives Hexagram 20, Contemplation; line 3 gives Hexagram 57, The Gentle; line 4 gives Hexagram 6, Conflict; line 5 gives Hexagram 4, Youthful Folly; line 6 gives Hexagram 29, The Abysmal. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 55, Abundance.