Hexagram 43: Break-through — I Ching Meaning

ChineseKuai TrigramsLake over Heaven Symbol

The Judgment

Break-through: one must resolutely make the matter known at the court of the king. It must be announced truthfully — danger! It is necessary to notify one's own city; it does not further to resort to arms. Five strong lines rise against one last dark line at the top — the final push against a nearly defeated wrong. Victory requires resolution joined to openness: declare, do not scheme; and do not celebrate before the last line falls.

The Image

The lake has risen up to heaven: the superior person dispenses riches downward and refrains from resting on their virtue. A lake held overhead must rain or burst — those with accumulated strength spend it generously and stay humble, or it discharges destructively.

What This Hexagram Means for You

You are close to a decisive victory over something that has burdened you — a bad pattern, a corrupt arrangement, an entrenched wrong — and the hexagram coaches the endgame: be resolute and public, naming the problem openly rather than fighting it with its own shadowy weapons. Do not compromise with the remnant, and do not gloat, relax or turn cruel at the finish; the last dark line is where campaigns are lost. Share the fruits as they come, keep your own hands clean, and complete the break-through in the open. Truth declared is the weapon of this hour.

Seek deeper guidance

The Book of Changes has spoken — let the cards answer too. A free Tarot reading awaits your question.

Free Tarot Reading
← 42. Increase 44. Coming to Meet →