Deliverance
解Xie
No. 40 · Thunder over Water
Xie (Deliverance)
The difficulty is starting to loosen. Use this window to untangle what is knotted, then settle back into calm once it is done. Don't drag it out, and don't stir up new trouble.
Cast your own hexagramXie (Deliverance) is the moment a hard knot starts to come loose, like everything sprouting after a thunderstorm. Clear up what remains, and once it is done, return to steady ground. Don't let it drag, and don't go looking for new trouble.
Favorable
- Finish what needs finishing early
- Let small mistakes go
- Distance yourself from dead weight
- Return to calm once it's done
Avoid
- Leaving loose ends hanging
- A show beyond your means
- Reopening old grievances
- Starting trouble out of nothing
Work and money
- Job search
- Interviews or transfers that were stuck are starting to move in Xie (Deliverance). The Judgment says going early brings good fortune: if there is a role you want, apply now before someone else takes it. With no clear target, do steady work where you are.
- Business
- A deal or funding that sat frozen is starting to thaw, so close out what is half negotiated. The third line, carrying a load while riding in a carriage, is a warning: keep the show within your means and hold off on spending more on fit-out or image.
- Money
- The pressure is easing. This is a good time to pay things down and put your finances in order. Until you have a clear goal, hold off on putting more in.
Love and people
- Single
- Something knotted inside you is easing in Xie (Deliverance), and it's a good time to get out and meet people again. Seeds split their husks only after the thunderstorm: new connections tend to appear once you actually go out, not while you wait at home.
- In a relationship
- A cold war or misunderstanding has a chance to thaw. The Image speaks of pardoning mistakes and forgiving wrongs: let small slips go, and stop dragging old grievances into every argument, so things can settle back to calm.
- Getting back together
- The deadlock in Xie (Deliverance) is loosening, so reaching out is worth trying; start by clearing up the original misunderstanding. If they are open, meet soon. If they stay cool, go back to your own life; returning to your place is a good outcome too.
- People and partnerships
- The fourth line in Xie (Deliverance) says to free yourself from the big toe: put distance between you and whoever clings and holds you back, and reliable partners tend to come closer. In a partnership, use this moment to restate who is responsible for what.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- Chapters that never made sense may suddenly click now. In Xie (Deliverance) danger is below and movement above, and moving is what gets you clear: don't sit worrying, and while it flows, push through and fill the gaps in one go.
- Moving and travel
- Xie (Deliverance) favors the southwest: open, level, busy places tend to suit you. Moves and trips can go ahead; get the paperwork done early, and don't carry more luggage or spend more than you need.
- Body and mind
- Stress you carried for a long time is letting go in Xie (Deliverance), and once you relax you may feel more tired, not less. Give yourself a few nights of real sleep before filling the calendar again. If the exhaustion feels off, see a doctor.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- The Sequence says Xie (Deliverance) means easing: things come loose, but at a slow, unhurried pace. News tends to follow once the hurdle in front clears. Have your documents ready on your side.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- A settlement is within reach; the tension has eased and both sides are more willing to give. Settle if you can, and forgive what is reasonable. The fifth line adds a check: it counts as resolved only once the troublemakers have really stepped back.
- Lost things and people
- Findable if you search soon; the longer it waits, the harder it gets. Kan (Water) is water and hidden places, Zhen (Thunder) is movement and the open road: check near water, the bathroom and kitchen, gaps underneath things, or retrace the route and vehicle you took.
Making a decision
If something needs doing, do it soon; the longer it waits, the more likely it is to change on you. If nothing has to be done, settle in where you are for now.
If you are…
Xie (Deliverance) is about what comes after a deadlock breaks. The top line has the duke shooting the hawk on the high wall: take care of that last stubborn issue in one push, then stop. Don't use the momentum to pile a stack of new jobs on yourself.
They reached out first, which in Xie (Deliverance) means the knot is starting to loosen. Talk it through and let the small things go; there's no need to make them admit every fault. If it isn't warm right away, that's fine. Going back to ordinary contact is enough.
This is the reading when no line is changing. With changing lines, Zhu Xi’s method says which line to read, and the result page after a casting tells you directly.
利西南，无所往，其來復吉。有攸往，夙吉。
It pays to go southwest (the southwest is open, level ground). If there is nowhere you need to go, returning to your place brings good fortune. If there is somewhere to go, going early brings good fortune.
Thunder over Water: Zhen (Thunder) above, Kan (Water) below. Kan is rain and danger, Zhen is thunder. Thunder and rain break loose, the pent-up air clears, and the frozen grip of winter thaws. That release gives the hexagram its name, Xie (Deliverance): untying, setting free.
Six at the beginning
无咎。
No blame.
The hardest part has just passed. You are in a low position with someone looking out for you, so rest quietly. There is no need to rush into anything.
Small Image: 剛柔之際，義无咎也。
Nine in the second place
田獲三狐，得黃矢，貞吉。
On the hunt, one catches three foxes and obtains a yellow arrow. Steadfastness brings good fortune.
Clear out the small schemes and sly maneuvering around you. Keep your own methods straight and fair, though; don't start playing games yourself.
Small Image: 九二貞吉，得中道也。
Six in the third place
負且乘，致寇至，貞吝。
Carrying a load on one's back while riding in a carriage invites robbers to come. Even with steadfastness, humiliation.
When your position or show outruns what you can actually support, it attracts envy and trouble. Don't flaunt, and don't hold a seat you can't carry; let go of what should be let go first.
Small Image: 負且乘，亦可醜也，自我致戎，又誰咎也。
Nine in the fourth place
解而拇，朋至斯孚。
Free yourself from your big toe (shake off the petty person clinging to you); then friends arrive, and trust runs both ways.
Someone keeps dragging you down and makes others wary of you. Put some distance there first. Once that is cleanly cut, the partners you can really rely on tend to come closer.
Small Image: 解而拇，未當位也。
Six in the fifth place
君子維有解，吉；有孚于小人。
The noble person is able to release the trouble: good fortune. The proof is seen in the petty people withdrawing.
To tell whether a problem is really solved, watch whether the people causing it have left the picture. Saying it's handled isn't enough; look at what is actually happening.
Small Image: 君子有解，小人退也。
Six at the top
公用射隼，于高墉之上，獲之，无不利。
The duke shoots at a hawk on top of a high wall and hits it. Nothing is unfavorable.
One last obstacle sits up high. Once you are ready, take it in one clean move. With the timing and the tools in place, acting now tends to go smoothly.
Small Image: 公用射隼，以解悖也。
解，險以動，動而免乎險，解。解利西南，往得眾也。其來復吉，乃得中也。有攸往夙吉，往有功也。天地解，而雷雨作，雷雨作，而百果草木皆甲坼，解之時大矣哉！
Xie (Deliverance): danger below and movement above. By moving, one escapes the danger: this is deliverance. It pays to go southwest: going, one wins over the many. Returning brings good fortune: one gains the middle way. If there is somewhere to go, going early brings good fortune: going brings achievement. When heaven and earth release, thunder and rain break out; when thunder and rain break out, the seeds of every fruit, plant and tree split their husks. Great indeed is the time of Xie.
The Image雷雨作，解；君子以赦過宥罪。
Thunder and rain break out: this is Xie (Deliverance). The noble person, seeing this, pardons mistakes and forgives wrongdoing.
The Sequence: why it comes here物不可終難，故受之以解；解者緩也。
The hexagram before is Jian (Obstruction), a time of hardship. Things cannot stay stuck in difficulty forever; at some point they come loose. So Jian is followed by Xie (Deliverance), and Xie means easing: a tense situation relaxes.
Miscellaneous Notes解緩也，蹇難也。
Xie (Deliverance) is easing: the difficulty has loosened. Its pair, Jian (Obstruction), is hardship, standing right in front of the blockage. The two figures are each other turned upside down: Xie walks out of trouble, Jian is stuck in it.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Xie mean for love?
Something knotted inside you is easing in Xie (Deliverance), and it's a good time to get out and meet people again. Seeds split their husks only after the thunderstorm: new connections tend to appear once you actually go out, not while you wait at home. A cold war or misunderstanding has a chance to thaw. The Image speaks of pardoning mistakes and forgiving wrongs: let small slips go, and stop dragging old grievances into every argument, so things can settle back to calm.
What does Xie mean for work?
Interviews or transfers that were stuck are starting to move in Xie (Deliverance). The Judgment says going early brings good fortune: if there is a role you want, apply now before someone else takes it. With no clear target, do steady work where you are. Stuck projects are starting to move. Use the opening to tie off loose ends. Do what needs doing early, stop when it's finished, and don't let side issues sprout.
With Xie, will what I am waiting for come?
The Sequence says Xie (Deliverance) means easing: things come loose, but at a slow, unhurried pace. News tends to follow once the hurdle in front clears. Have your documents ready on your side.
With Xie, will I find what I lost?
Findable if you search soon; the longer it waits, the harder it gets. Kan (Water) is water and hidden places, Zhen (Thunder) is movement and the open road: check near water, the bathroom and kitchen, gaps underneath things, or retrace the route and vehicle you took.
A hexagram answers one question; your chart shows the whole of you and your year.
The classical text follows the standard edition of the Zhouyi. The plain readings are Xingge’s own, offered as a reference, not as the final word.