No. 40 Deliverance
雷水解 · Xiè · Water under Thunder
“The knot has loosened. Move on before you start re-tying it.”
Lower trigram ☵ Water 坎 — depth & steady flow
Upper trigram ☳ Thunder 震 — initiation & action
Trigram: a three-line symbolic figure that forms one half of an I Ching hexagram.
- Release
- Letting go
- Moving on
- Forgiveness
- Loose ends
Introduction
Thunder breaks over water and the storm passes: tension releases into rain. Deliverance pictures a knot that has finally come undone.
In practice, this names a stretch right after relief. The work is to let the thing stay finished instead of going back to it.
The judgement
“Deliverance. The southwest furthers. If there is no longer anything to be done, returning brings good. If there is still something to be done, hastening brings good.”
In plain words: the release is real, and the right pace depends on what is left.
Read it as a note about finishing cleanly. What is over tends to deserve a quick return home; what remains tends to deserve speed.
Core themes
- Release has happened. Reopening it is the risk.
- Forgiveness here is practical before it is emotional.
- Finishing the loose ends quickly is what keeps the relief.
Line-by-line overview
Six lines, read bottom to top — matching the figure above.
Each line describes one stage in an evolving situation. Line 1 marks the earliest, foundational beginning; line 6 shows where the pattern has run its course. Open a line to read it.
Line 1 初六
At the base the knot is gone and the old line simply records no fault.
Nothing needs to be done about it.
Accepting relief without suspicion tends to be a skill.
Line 2 九二
Here the clearing out is real work, and the old line praises a straight, measured approach.
The image is a hunter taking what is actually causing damage.
Removing the specific cause tends to matter more than general cleanup.
Line 3 六三
At this level, relief has arrived but the person still carries what should have been dropped.
The old line says carrying it while riding invites trouble.
Keeping the weight after the crisis tends to re-attract the crisis.
Line 4 九四
Here release begins at the smallest point, and the old line says a companion arrives once it does.
The toe is where the pressure was held.
Loosening the small thing tends to be what lets people in.
Line 5 六五
At the centre, the release is real enough to be visible to everyone watching.
The old line says good comes and even the doubtful are persuaded.
A clean ending tends to argue for itself.
Line 6 上六
At the top, the last remaining obstacle is removed decisively.
The old image is a bird of prey on a wall, taken with one shot.
The final obstruction tends to need one clear action rather than a campaign.
Summary
Read as a whole, this figure asks you to let the relief be real. Remove the specific cause, put the burden down, and finish the loose ends before they re-form.
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Hexagram 40 · Deliverance 解
A way to look at what is moving around you now, not a fixed answer. Notice your inner state, then decide how to act.
After an argument ends, going back over it tends to reopen the wound.
Forgiveness tends to be a decision made before it is a feeling.
Couples often rehearse the resolved grievance for weeks. Rehearsal tends to undo the resolution.
Leave it finished.
Ultimately, your real-world facts and personal choices will shape how things unfold.
This hexagram contains 1 changing line. You may read detailed line interpretations inside the full hexagram-knowledge page. If you want to deepen your understanding of changing lines and line positions, please visit our I-Ching six-line learning page.
Read the full guide →- Name what you are still carrying from a settled issue. A named leftover tends to be put down. An unnamed one tends to be carried into the next disagreement.
- Notice whether you are testing the repair. Testing tends to weaken what it examines.
Related reading
Short reads from the blog. A changing line is a line that may shift as a situation moves.
Working with changing lines
Learn about changing lines and how to interpret them
Expectation & inner honesty
Set proper expectations before your reflection reading
Using the I Ching for self-reflection
Turn the reading into something you do.
Related hexagrams
Obstruction · 蹇
Read it the other way up
No. 41Decrease · 损
The hexagram after this one
No. 38Opposition · 睽
The hexagram before this one
If you would like to browse all 64 hexagrams, visit All 64 Hexagrams.
If you would like to learn about static hexagrams and the interpretation rules for changing lines within I-Ching, please visit our general guide: Understanding Changing & Static Lines.