Hexagram 40: Deliverance

雷水解 · Xiè

Hexagram 40, Deliverance (Xiè, 解), is formed of the upper trigram Thunder (震) over the lower trigram Water (坎). Below is the classical judgment, the six line texts, and how to read this hexagram in a reading.

The Judgment

Deliverance: the southwest furthers. Nothing left to fix — returning brings good fortune. If something remains, act early.
利西南。无所往,其来复吉。有攸往,夙吉。

Trigrams

Upper · Thunder 震
arousing movement
Lower · Water 坎
the abysmal, danger

The outer (upper) trigram Thunder describes the situation as it meets the world; the inner (lower) trigram Water describes its inner disposition. Together they set the theme of Deliverance.

The Six Lines

Reading Hexagram 40 for Your Question

When Deliverance appears without changing lines, the judgment above stands as the whole answer. When you cast changing lines (a 6 or a 9), read those line texts first — they are the most specific guidance — then look to the relating hexagram they form for where the situation is heading. For love, career, or a decision, apply the theme of Deliverance to your own circumstances rather than reading it as a fixed prediction.

Ask the oracle your own question and see whether Deliverance answers.

Cast a Free Reading