In work & career
At work, Deliverance is the crisis survived: the failed launch weathered, the conflict resolved, the danger passed. Release the tension fully; teams cannot heal while leaders keep reliving the emergency. Forgive the mistakes the pressure exposed, address what was damaged, and restore normal operations with care. Learn quietly from what happened, but do not build policy around the exception. The clearing is precious; use it to return to steady, ordinary excellence.
40 · King Wen sequence
Hexagram 40 Deliverance — In work & career
解 · Xiè · upper Thunder over lower Water
Thunder breaks over rain-swollen water: the storm passes and the held tension releases.
The reading
Deliverance is the hexagram of release. Thunder moves over water: the storm that held everything taut finally breaks and spends itself. This is the end of the crisis, the argument resolved, the danger passed, the grip loosened. The tension that defined everything dissolves, and ease returns like clear air after rain. The hexagram marks this as a turning point. What was knotted comes undone, not by force but by the natural passing of the storm.
Release fully, then tidy the aftermath. Forgive the faults the crisis exposed, in others and in yourself; carrying them forward only re-ties the knot. Address what the storm damaged: repair, settle accounts, restore routines. But do not linger in the drama of what happened; deliverance means moving on. Return to the ordinary with gratitude. The wise use the clearing well: they clean up quickly, learn quietly, and let ease become the new normal.
The image
Thunder and rain clear the air; the storm spends itself. The wise forgive faults and pardon the guilty, releasing tension to restore ease.
Release the tension, then clean up with care.
When you cast this hexagram
- The end of the long crisis you have been enduring.
- The hard work of forgiving the faults the crisis exposed.
- The careful daily work of settling accounts and restoring routines.
- Moving forward with gratitude instead of lingering in the drama.
In love and relationships
In love, Deliverance is the fight that finally ends, the tension that finally breaks. Let it break fully; do not keep one hand on the old grievance. Forgive what the crisis exposed, in your partner and in yourself, or the knot re-ties. Then do the quiet repair: rebuild routines, keep small promises, restore warmth. Do not linger in the drama of what happened. Love after deliverance can be stronger than before, if you let ease become the new normal.
In work and career
At work, Deliverance is the crisis survived: the failed launch weathered, the conflict resolved, the danger passed. Release the tension fully; teams cannot heal while leaders keep reliving the emergency. Forgive the mistakes the pressure exposed, address what was damaged, and restore normal operations with care. Learn quietly from what happened, but do not build policy around the exception. The clearing is precious; use it to return to steady, ordinary excellence.
When you have a decision to make
When a real decision is on the table, Deliverance says the crisis is over; decide accordingly. Choose the option that releases tension rather than prolonging it. Forgive what needs forgiving, settle what needs settling, and do not decide from the emergency mindset anymore. The right decision here tidies the aftermath and moves on: repair, restore, and return to normal. Do not let the drama of what happened dictate what happens next.
The six changing lines
Read only the lines that came up moving in your own cast. If none did, stay with the hexagram as a whole. Each line below links to the hexagram that line turns into.
At the top, shoot the hawk perched on the high wall. Decisive action removes the last lingering threat; nothing here is without benefit.
The noble brings deliverance, and good fortune follows. At the ruling position, release is complete; trust extends even to the lowly.
Release the grip of the big toe, the small entanglement holding you. Let it go and trusted friends arrive; there is sincerity in the release.
Carrying a heavy load while riding high invites robbers. Overreaching at this stage draws attack; perseverance in it brings regret.
In the field you catch three foxes and win the golden arrow. Clear away deceit and hold the middle course; perseverance brings good fortune.
At the very start of release, there is no blame. Let go cleanly and without hesitation; the first loosening is always right.
How it relates to the other hexagrams
These links are derived from the line structure, not from editorial opinion. Flip a line, reverse the stack, or read the inner lines, and you land on a specific neighbour.
Nuclear · 互卦
Lines 2–4 and 3–5 of this hexagram form another one. It is the inner situation — what is really going on underneath what you were asking about.
Complementary · 错卦
Every line flips. This is the exact opposite stance: the position you are not taking, which is often the thing the reading is contrasting you with.
Inverse · 综卦
Turn the whole stack upside down and you get this. The same circumstance seen from the other end — usually the person on the other side of it.
If one line changes
Same upper or lower trigram
Scholar's details
| Number | 40 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Binary (bottom → top) | 010100 (1 = yang, 0 = yin) |
| Upper trigram | ☳ 震 Zhèn — Thunder, Wood, Eldest Son |
| Lower trigram | ☵ 坎 Kǎn — Water, Water, Middle Son |
| Key ideas | release, forgiveness, recovery, relief, renewal, ease |
Have a question of your own?
This page tells you what the hexagram means. A casting tells you which one you are actually in.