Hexagram 43, Trạch Thiên Quải (夬): Decisive and Public Removal of What Is Wrong

What hexagram is Trạch Thiên Quải?

Trạch Thiên Quải (澤天夬) is the 43rd of the 64 hexagrams of the Kinh Dịch (I Ching) in King Wen's sequence. The character Quải (夬) means resolve, to cut off, to be decisive. The hexagram has five yang lines below and a single yin line at the top, representing a lake rising to the sky: yang force has grown so strong that only one yin line remains to be removed. Quải speaks of the moment one must decide, must cut, must be firm with what no longer fits.

As recorded by horos, the hexagram has these attributes:

In imagery, the inner trigram Càn is heaven, firm and strong; the outer trigram Đoài is marsh, lake, of harmonious nature. Lake water normally sits low, but here it rises to the sky, a state so full it must overflow. Kinh Dịch chọn lọc số 8 reads this image as a tense balance: five yang lines below overwhelm one yin line at the top, and the resolve here is not mere cutting, but a decision that must be made even if it may cause rupture.

Why does Quải follow hexagram 42 in the Tự Quái?

The Tự Quái truyện, the later commentary on the order of hexagrams, explains that after Ích (hexagram 42) comes Quải, because what increases without cease must burst. Ích is adding, building up; add until full and it must overflow, so next is Quải, meaning resolve, to cut off. This matches the hexagram image: water rising to the sky is the picture of what is full to the extreme.

One should distinguish the layers of text clearly. The classic text, comprising the Judgment and the line texts, is the oldest part. The Thoán truyện, Tượng truyện, Hệ từ, and Tự Quái truyện are all later commentaries, not to be merged with the classic text. The Khổng Minh Thần Toán verse slips circulated among the people are the slips of another book, not the Zhouyi line texts, so the two should not be mixed.

What does the Judgment say about how to decide?

The Judgment of the Quải hexagram is recorded in the original Chinese and Sino-Vietnamese reading as follows:

夬：揚于王庭，孚號有厲。告自邑，不利即戎，利有攸往

Quải: Dương vu vương đình, phu hào hữu lệ. Cáo tự ấp, bất lợi tức nhung, lợi hữu du vãng.

It means: proclaim it openly at court, call out with sincerity even though there is danger. Announce it from your own town; it is not favorable to use force; to advance is favorable. The Judgment stresses two main points. First, the removal of what is wrong must be proclaimed openly at court, transparent before everyone, not done in secret. Second, it is not favorable to use military force, meaning one must resolve by what is right and just, not by strength.

The Image and the advice to bestow rewards below

The Image text reads:

澤上於天，夬。君子以施祿及下，居德則忌

Trạch thượng vu thiên, Quải. Quân tử dĩ thí lộc cập hạ, cư đức tắc kỵ.

It means: the lake rises above heaven, the image of Quải. The junzi (noble person) accordingly bestows rewards downward; dwelling in virtue, he avoids what is wrong. The image of water rising to the sky suggests everything is full to overflowing. When one has power and strength, the wise share with those below instead of keeping all for themselves. Dwelling in virtue is the best way to avoid calamity.

The six line texts of Trạch Thiên Quải

The six lines describe six situations when one must make a decisive decision. Read from the bottom up: the first line is the lowest, the top line is the highest. The line names, the position of each line, and the resulting hexagram when each line moves are given in the reference table at the end of the article.

• Sơ cửu (line 1): 壯于前趾，往不勝為咎. Tráng vu tiền chỉ, vãng bất thắng vi cữu. It means strong in the front toes; to go and not win is a fault.
• Cửu nhị (line 2): 惕號，莫夜有戎，勿恤. Dịch hào, mạc dạ hữu nhung, vật tuất. It means be vigilant and call out; in the dark night there are foes, do not worry.
• Cửu tam (line 3): 壯于頄，有凶。君子夬夬，獨行遇雨，若濡有慍，無咎. Tráng vu cừu, hữu hung. Quân tử quải quải, độc hành ngộ vũ, nhược nhu hữu uẩn, vô cữu. It means strong in the cheekbones, there is misfortune. The junzi resolves and resolves again; walking alone he meets rain, though wet and resented, he is not harmed.
• Cửu tứ (line 4): 臀無膚，其行次且。牽羊悔亡，聞言不信. Đồn vô phu, kỳ hành thứ thả. Khiên dương hối vong, văn ngôn bất tín. It means the buttocks have no skin, walking is difficult. Leading a sheep, regret vanishes; hearing words, one does not believe.
• Cửu ngũ (line 5): 莧陸夬夬，中行無咎. Hiện lục quải quải, trung hành vô cữu. It means the purslane resolves and resolves; walking the middle path, there is no harm.
• Thượng lục (line 6): 無號，終有凶. Vô hào, chung hữu hung. It means no one can be called; in the end there is misfortune.

Explaining the six lines in plain words

Line 1: strong in the feet but not yet strong enough

The person wants to act at once, full of energy, but not yet prepared enough. The line warns: if you advance and do not win, it is a fault. This is not the time to charge in fiercely. Check again whether you have enough information, enough support, whether you are sure you are right. Decisiveness without preparation becomes recklessness.

Line 2: vigilance even at night

The person already knows what must be cut off, but danger can come unexpectedly, even when things seem calm. The line reminds one to call everyone to be vigilant, not complacent. Anyone preparing for a big change should have a backup plan. Forewarned is forearmed.

Line 3: walking alone in the rain

This is the line most discussed by commentators in this hexagram. The person resolves and resolves again, meaning he has decided yet must decide again within himself, then walks alone, meets rain, gets wet, and is resented by others. The line says clearly: no harm. Sometimes a right decision still displeases those around you. Anyone who has cut off a toxic relationship will understand this feeling: right yet still lonely, right yet still blamed. Endure short-term discomfort for long-term relief.

Line 4: hard to walk, lead the sheep

The person is in a position of dilemma. Wanting to decide but unable to cut, wanting to go but unsteady on his feet. The line suggests going slowly, like one leading a sheep, not rushing. Leading a sheep brings peace of mind, meaning it is better to go slowly than to go wrong. If you want to cut something off but fear the consequences, take small steps instead of one clean stroke.

Line 5: walking the middle path

This is the central position, with authority to decide. The line reminds one not to be extreme. Cut off what is wrong while keeping fairness, without favoritism, without revenge. Trung hành is walking the middle path, leaning neither left nor right. If you must fire someone, refuse someone, or judge a matter, do it with integrity, not emotion.

Line 6: no one helps, in the end misfortune

The only yin line, standing at the top, isolated. This is the image of one who has lost all allies, can call no one, and whose outcome will not be good. The line is very clear: chung hữu hung, in the end there is misfortune. If you are in a position where no one around supports you, ask yourself where you stand. Sometimes the problem is not with others.

Reading Quải and Cấu as a pair

The opposite hexagram of Quải is Thiên Phong Cấu (hexagram 44), the zong gua of Quải. If Quải is five yang lines pushing out one yin line at the top, then Cấu is one yin line newly appearing at the bottom, just meeting five yang lines. Reading the two as a pair shows two moments of the same problem: Cấu is when what is wrong has just crept in, still weak, easy to stop; Quải is when it has been pushed to the extreme, and one must resolve it fully. Side by side, the two remind us that handling it early is light, but letting it fill until it bursts is heavy.

Different views on the Cửu Tam line

The Cửu Tam line is where commentators disagree most. One reading stresses the words quải quải, resolve and resolve again, seeing it as praiseworthy steadfastness: the junzi, though walking alone, meeting rain, getting wet and resented, is still without fault. Another reading notes the words tráng vu cừu, strong in the cheekbones, and hữu hung, there is misfortune, before mentioning the junzi, and so holds that this line both warns against excessive zeal and acknowledges the legitimacy of one who keeps to what is right. This article does not choose one side as standard, but records both readings so the reader can weigh them. The common point of both is: the line's outcome is not absolute fortune or misfortune, but depends on whether the actor keeps to what is right.

Quải in love, career, wealth, and health

It should be said first that these are applications of the hexagram to life, not certain predictions of the future. For the same hexagram, different commentators may stress different aspects.

Love

Casting Trạch Thiên Quải is usually read as a sign that a relationship has reached a moment of decision: continue or stop, make it public or keep it hidden, forgive or part. The hexagram does not support prolonged hesitation. If the relationship is good, make it public and take the next step. If it is over, cut it cleanly, do not drag it out. If you are keeping a relationship only for fear of loneliness, this hexagram reminds you that keeping wrongly is more tiring than letting go.

Career

In career, Quải suggests this is the time for a clear decision: cut off unsuitable work, stop ineffective projects, refuse a partnership heading the wrong way. The hexagram stresses doing it openly, transparently, with just cause. If one acts out of personal revenge or self-interest, the outcome is read as bad. The strength of Quải lies in daring to decide while keeping to the way: decisive but not cruel.

Wealth

Casting Quải about finances is usually read as needing to cut losses or end an unprofitable investment. Keeping it longer will not improve things; the more you keep, the more you lose. The hexagram supports decisiveness: sell, stop, withdraw. Conversely, if a good opportunity is present and you hesitate, the hexagram also reminds you to decide, do not miss it. This is a reference reading, not investment advice.

Health

In health, hexagram 43 leans toward needing to cut off a bad habit affecting the body, or to stop delaying a medical visit. The Thượng Lục line is read as a reminder: knowing what is wrong and not fixing it will in the end be bad. This is an encouraging reading, not a substitute for medical examination and treatment.

The core lesson of Trạch Thiên Quải

The general spirit of the hexagram is wrapped in one word: resolve. Five yang lines are nearly strong enough; only one yin line remains to be cut. But how to cut is what the hexagram stresses. Cut with integrity and it is finished; cut with hatred and you wound yourself. The Judgment has pointed out two conditions: do it openly and do not use military force. The Image adds one more: when you have power and strength, share downward and keep virtue. There is a time to keep, a time to let go. Knowing how to let go of the right thing at the right time, that is courage.

A note on context. Most line and judgment texts were recorded in the old feudal social context, with norms such as ruler and subject, above and below, junzi and petty person. When reading, one should treat them as historical material that helps understand ancient thought, not transfer them verbatim as advice for life today.

The structure of Trạch Thiên Quải in one table

Where do the six lines of Trạch Thiên Quải stand, and what hexagram does each moving line become?

The table reads from the first line (bottom) up to the top line. Line names combine position and nature: yang is called Cửu, yin is called Lục. The last column is the resulting hexagram when ONLY that line moves, calculated by the same method used by the Nhật Nguyệt casting tool.