Breakthrough 夬

Breakthrough is about naming a long-building problem openly and solving it at the root. Do it with honesty and calm, not with anger or force.

What does Breakthrough mean?

The water has risen to the sky and the dam is about to give way. Breakthrough describes a tension that has been building for a long time and has now reached the breaking point. It may be a habit that harms you, someone who is not honest, or a weakness within yourself. The time to look away has passed. Now you need to name it clearly and resolve it. Once this decision is made, it should not be left half done. The longer you delay, the bigger the problem grows and the harder it becomes to solve. This is exactly the moment to gather your strength.

How you resolve it matters a great deal. If you act out of anger, by fighting, or with a wish for revenge, you become tainted by the very wrong you are trying to fix. What is needed is not weapons but the truth, spoken plainly and calmly. First tell your own circle, the people you trust, what is going on. The danger has not gone away, so stay alert. Resolve does not mean harshness. It also means being willing to walk alone when needed and to risk being misunderstood. You cannot pull out a deep-rooted weed halfway. See the job through. Once the problem is solved, share your strength and your gains, and do not boast about having been right.

The lines

If a line changed (red) in your reading, read only that line. Lines are counted from the bottom up.

1. First line

   Strength has gathered in your toes and you want to charge forward. But your strength is not enough yet. If you go now, you will make a mistake.

2. Second line

   A cry of alarm rings out at night and armed men are coming. If you are already alert and prepared, there is no need to fear.

3. Third line

   Anger shows on your face and cheeks, and that brings misfortune. The wise person walks on alone with resolve, is caught in the rain and soaked, and people misunderstand and grumble, yet there is no mistake.

4. Fourth line

   There is no skin on your thighs. You cannot sit still, yet you cannot walk either. If you followed the leader like a sheep, regret would vanish, but you hear this advice and do not believe it.

5. Fifth line

   You clear away the deep-rooted weed with firm resolve. As long as you walk the middle way and keep your balance, there is no mistake.

6. Top line

   There is no warning cry. If you relax, thinking the danger has passed, misfortune comes in the end.

Trigrams

Related hexagrams