Hexagram 40 of 64
Deliverance
解 (Xiè)
Release (xiè) — the loosening and untangling after tension
LiberationAs shown in classical I Ching texts
Composition
Upper Trigram
Arousing, awakening, shocking — sudden movement from stillness
Outer situation / environment
Lower Trigram
Deep, flowing, dangerous — penetrating through persistence
Inner situation / your state
Interaction
Thunder above Water — storm meeting rain & rivers. The outer energy of thunder shapes the inner disposition of water.
Meaning
The storm has passed — tension releases. Return to normal quickly and forgive errors.
Classical Judgment
“Deliverance. The southwest furthers. If there is no longer anything where one has to go, return brings good fortune.”
The classical judgment is the original oracle text — the answer the I Ching gives when this hexagram appears.
The Image
Thunder and rain set in. The superior one pardons mistakes and forgives misdeeds.
The Image is a nature scene associated with this hexagram — a symbolic picture that distils its essence. In classic texts, meditating on the Image was considered the proper way to absorb the hexagram's teaching.
Nuclear Hexagram
Lines 2–5 of this hexagram form an inner hexagram called the nuclear hexagram. It reveals the hidden seed or underlying dynamic within the situation — what lies at the core beneath the surface.
#63 — Hidden within
After Completion
既濟 (Jì Jì) · Fulfillment
In a Reading
When hexagram 40 appears in your reading, the I Ching is drawing your attention to the quality of liberation. Sit with the Image — “Thunder and rain set in” — and consider how this pattern is playing out in your current situation. The Judgment offers the oracle’s direct guidance on how to move with this energy rather than against it.
Receive a personal reading with this hexagram interpreted for your specific question
Get a Free Reading