Hexagram 23 of 64
剥 bō
Splitting Apart
艮 (gèn, Mountain) above · 坤 (kūn, Earth) below
The Judgment 卦辞
The structure is peeling away from the top. Do not start anything. Rest, conserve, and let the collapse finish — the turning point follows close behind.
The Image 大象
The mountain rests on the earth: splitting apart. Those above secure their position only by giving generously to those below.
The six lines 爻辞
Each line of 剥 has its own classical text. If a line in your cast is changing, its text is the heart of your reading.
Line 1 · 初六
The bed is peeling from its legs. The foundation is being undermined — act on it.
「剥床以足，蔑贞凶」
Line 2 · 六二
The stripping has climbed above the legs. The rot rises.
「剥床以辨，蔑贞凶」
Line 3 · 六三
Being stripped — but not by your own doing. No blame in it.
「剥之，无咎」
Line 4 · 六四
The stripping reaches your skin. The collapse is personal now — misfortune.
「剥床以肤，凶」
Line 5 · 六五
A string of fish, court ladies in order of favor. Keep the falling sequence orderly and nothing is lost.
「贯鱼，以宫人宠，无不利」
Line 6 · 上九
The great fruit left uneaten: the wise gain a carriage from it, the small lose their hut. What remains after collapse feeds the future.
「硕果不食，君子得舆，小人剥庐」
If you drew this in a reading
A demanding pattern. This is one of the demanding patterns. It does not say "doom" — it says "the way through is narrow." Slow down, protect what matters, refuse shortcuts, and let the hexagram teach you the specific discipline it describes.
In yes/no questions this hexagram leans no — the pattern counsels holding back.
The trigrams give the flavor: 艮 (Mountain) above — keeping still — restraint, meditation, knowing when to stop — over 坤 (Earth) below — receptive devotion — nourishment, patience, carrying others. Where those two energies meet, 剥 is born.
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