Hexagram 23: Splitting Apart

Written by Orbitarot · Sources: James Legge, The Yi King (The I Ching), 1882 (judgment and lines); plain readings our own · Updated October 7, 2026

Hexagram 23 in plain words

The mountain sits above earth. A mountain resting on the earth is slowly worn down, its slopes crumbling into the plain. In the hexagram, five yielding lines rise from below and push against the last strong line at the top, which is about to fall. Tradition reads this as the moment when weak or harmful influences undermine what is strong, the way rot works through the legs of a bed until the whole frame gives way.

In your situation, the advice is not to fight the trend directly. The forces of decline have momentum right now, and resisting them head on can make you their next target. Instead, keep quiet, strengthen your foundations, and be generous to those who depend on you, because a mountain stands firm only on a broad base. Look for what can be let go of and what must be kept at any cost. Above all, stay patient. The top line shows a large fruit left uneaten on the tree: a seed of the good survives even when much is lost. Splitting Apart is followed by Return, and the cycle will turn.

The judgment

Po indicates that (in the state which it symbolises) it will not be advantageous to make a movement in any direction whatever.

Translation: James Legge, 1882 (public domain).

The image

(The trigrams representing) the earth, and (above it) that for a mountain, which adheres to the earth, form Po. Superiors, in accordance with this, seek to strengthen those below them, to secure the peace and stability of their own position.

From Legge's Appendix II (the Great Symbolism), The Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16, 1882 (public domain).

In plain words: A mountain rests on the earth and is slowly worn away from below. Strengthen your foundations and the people who support you, because your own stability depends on them.

The six lines

Read only the lines that changed in your reading. Lines are counted from the bottom.

Line 1 (bottom)

The first SIX, divided, shows one overturning the couch by injuring its legs. (The injury will go on to) the destruction of (all) firm correctness, and there will be evil.

The leg of the bed is split. The base is being undermined and those who stay loyal are pushed aside: be careful and wait.

Line 2

The second SIX, divided, shows one overthrowing the couch by injuring its frame. (The injury will go on to) the destruction of (all) firm correctness, and there will be evil.

The bed is split at its frame. The danger is coming closer and you are isolated; stay cautious and do not act stubbornly.

Line 3

The third SIX, divided, shows its subject among the overthrowers; but there will be no error.

You break away from the harmful group. Siding with what is right, even alone, is free of blame.

Line 4

The fourth SIX, divided, shows its subject having overthrown the couch, and (going to injure) the skin (of him who lies on it). There will be evil.

The bed is split up to the skin. The damage now touches you directly; this is a hard moment to bear with patience.

Line 5

The fifth SIX, divided, shows (its subject leading on the others like) a string of fishes, and (obtaining for them) the favour that lights on the inmates of the palace. There will be advantage in every way.

A line of fish, led in good order. The yielding forces turn and accept guidance; things begin to go well.

Line 6 (top)

The topmost NINE, undivided, shows its subject (as) a great fruit which has not been eaten. The superior man finds (the people again) as a chariot carrying him. The small men (by their course) overthrow their own dwellings.

A large fruit remains uneaten. The good survives and will grow again: the wise person is carried forward, while the petty person loses their shelter.

Related hexagrams

All three relations have traditional Chinese names (cuo gua for the opposite, zong gua for the inverse, hu gua for the nuclear). Many modern readers use the opposite as the shadow side of a situation, the inverse as the same moment seen from the other side, and the nuclear hexagram as its inner core.

If one line changes

With a single changing line, hexagram 23 turns into:

Learn more: what the I Ching is, how to read changing lines, the eight trigrams, how to cast with coins or yarrow.

Hexagram 23 in love and relationships

In love, this hexagram may show distance or strain wearing a bond down. Avoid drastic moves; protect what is good between you, be patient, and let the hard phase pass.

Hexagram 23 for work and decisions

At work, a project or situation may be declining or being undermined. Do not force a big push; secure the basics, keep a low profile, and wait for better timing.

Questions