DIANJI · 典籍
Hexagram 23 · Splitting Apart
A source-aware reading page for I Ching hexagram 23, Splitting Apart.
Read I Ching hexagram 23, Splitting Apart, with its judgment, changing lines, textual layers, sources, and a clearly labeled modern reading.
Chinese text
不利有攸往。
剥象征剥落倾覆。阴盛阳衰、基础被掏空。不利于任何积极行动，应顺势退守、保存火种。
初六 剥床以足，蔑贞，凶。
六二 剥床以辨，蔑贞，凶。
六三 剥之，无咎。
六四 剥床以肤，凶。
六五 贯鱼，以宫人宠，无不利。
上九 硕果不食，君子得舆，小人剥庐。
English support translation
不利有攸往。
As things come apart, this is not a moment for setting out on any new venture.
Initial Six: The bed's legs are being worn away — the foundation of what is right is being undermined. Misfortune.
Six in the second: The erosion has reached the bed's frame — what is right is losing its footing further still. Misfortune.
Six in the third: In the midst of this decay, one person breaks away from it rather than joining in. No blame.
Six in the fourth: The erosion has reached the surface of the bed itself, close enough to touch the sleeper directly. Misfortune.
Six in the fifth: Like fish threaded one after another in a line, brought forward in orderly favor — nothing here works against you.
Nine at the top: One large fruit remains uneaten on the branch. A person of integrity is carried forward and supported; someone small-minded ends up tearing down their own house.