Hexagram 23
Splitting Apart
剝
Upper
Mountain · 艮
keeping still
Lower
Earth · 坤
the receptive, yielding
Contemporary judgment
Splitting apart. Something is coming down. The structure that no longer serves is in its final days, and no amount of propping up will save it. Do not fight the collapse; it is the condition for what is coming next. Withdraw, preserve your strength, and let what is ending end cleanly.
Image
The mountain wearing down into the earth. The superior person, perceiving the condition of those below, strengthens their foundations.
Counsel
Stop trying to save what is genuinely finished. Not everything can be salvaged; sometimes the wisdom is to let go. Concentrate on preserving the foundation: your health, your principles, a few essential relationships. What is intact will serve as the seed of what comes next.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A six at the beginning means: The bed is split apart at the leg. Those who persevere are destroyed. Misfortune.
Line 2
A six in the second place means: The bed is split apart at the edge. Those who persevere are destroyed. Misfortune.
Line 3
A six in the third place means: He splits apart with them. No blame.
Line 4
A six in the fourth place means: The bed is split apart up to the skin. Misfortune.
Line 5
A six in the fifth place means: A string of fishes. Through the palace ladies favor comes. Everything is furthering.
Line 6
A nine at the top means: A great fruit still uneaten is there. The noble one receives a wagon. The petty one's house is split apart.
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.