第 40 卦 · Hexagram 40

解

Jie · Deliverance (Thunder over Water)

赦過宥罪,動而免乎險

上上卦upper trigram☳震 · 雷 / Thunder下下卦lower trigram☵坎 · 水 / Water

象Image

先看圖像,再讀文字。Read the image before the words.

大象傳《大象傳》從上下卦的自然圖像推演全卦之象,再提出人事取法。The Great Image derives conduct from the two trigrams' natural images.Great Image

  1. 全卦成象Whole image

    雷雨作,解

    (The trigram for) thunder and that for rain (with the latter ascending up to the former) form Jie.

  2. 人事取法Conduct

    君子以赦過宥罪。

    The superior man, in accordance with this, forgives errors, and deals gently with crimes.

雷雨並作,是解之象。君子由此體會:要赦免過錯、寬宥罪行。紓解之時當寬,不當嚴。

(The trigram for) thunder and that for rain (with the latter ascending up to the former) form Jie. The superior man, in accordance with this, forgives errors, and deals gently with crimes.

辭Words

先讀經文,再讀《彖傳》如何解釋卦辭。The received text, then the Tuan commentary on it.

經
卦辭對整個卦(六條線為一組)的總體判斷。The judgment on the hexagram as a whole.
Judgment

解:利西南,無所往,其來復吉。有攸往,夙吉。

解卦,利於往西南。如果無所前往,來復(回歸常軌)則吉;如果有所前往,趁早前往則吉。紓解之時,行動要快。

In (the state indicated by) Jie advantage will be found in the south-west. If no (further) operations be called for, there will be good fortune in coming back (to the old conditions). If some operations be called for, there will be good fortune in the early conducting of them.

傳
彖傳十翼之一,直接解釋卦名、卦辭及其剛柔結構。Tuan Zhuan — explains the name, the Judgment and the line structure.
Commentary on the Judgment

解,險以動,動而免乎險,解。解利西南,往得眾也。其來復吉,乃得中也。有攸往夙吉,往有功也。天地解而雷雨作,雷雨作而百果草木皆甲坼,解之時大矣哉!

解卦:險中而動,動而免於險,這就是解。「利西南」是因為前往得眾。「來復吉」是因為得中道。「有攸往夙吉」是因為前往有功。天地解開而雷雨作,雷雨作而百果草木都破殼而出,解的時機真大啊!

In Jie we have peril and the action to escape from it. Heaven and Earth open out from each other, and we have thunder and rain. When these come, the budding fruits and vegetables all burst forth from the ground.

爻Lines

六條線各有一句判斷。閱讀次序初→上;卦象由下而上,看左側的卦。One statement per line, read from the first line to the top. The figure is drawn bottom-up — watch the rail.

初六
始
解之始the start of release
第 1 爻 · 陰line 1 · yin

無咎。

無咎。剛紓解之初,柔得位,無事。

The first SIX shows that its subject will commit no error.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

剛柔之際,義無咎也。

剛柔交接之時,理當無咎。

九二
矢
中道除惡central truth
第 2 爻 · 陽line 2 · yang

田獲三狐,得黃矢,貞吉。

田獵獲三狐,得黃色之箭(中正之器),守正則吉。剛中得位,能除惡而不偏。

The second NINE shows its subject catch, in hunting, three foxes, and obtain the yellow (golden) arrows. With firm correctness there will be good fortune.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

九二貞吉,得中道也。

九二之貞吉,是得中道。

六三
寇
自招災self-invited robbers
第 3 爻 · 陰line 3 · yin

負且乘,致寇至,貞吝。

背著貨物還乘車(不當位),招來盜寇,守此吝。陰柔小人據於剛位,反招災。

The third SIX shows a porter with his burden, (yet) riding in a carriage. He will (only) tempt robbers to attack him. However firm and correct he may try to be, there will be cause for regret.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

負且乘,亦可醜也。自我致戎,又誰咎也。

背物又乘車,是可恥之象。自招賊寇,怪誰呢?

九四
拇
解小人連cut petty ties
第 4 爻 · 陽line 4 · yang

解而拇,朋至斯孚。

解開你的腳趾(去掉小人之牽連),朋友到了則有信。

The fourth NINE shows its subject removing toes from his foot. (But) friends will come, between him and whom there will be mutual confidence.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

解而拇,未當位也。

解開腳趾,是因為位置未當。

六五
解
君子有解noble release
第 5 爻 · 陰line 5 · yin

君子維有解,吉。有孚于小人。

君子能解之,吉。對小人也有信實之德。柔在尊位,能寬能嚴。

The fifth SIX shows its subject, the superior man, executing his function of removing (whatever is injurious to the idea of the hexagram). There will be good fortune. He shows the reality of what he does to the small men.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

君子有解,小人退也。

君子能解之,小人自退。

上六
隼
射隼除悖shoot the falcon
第 6 爻 · 陰line 6 · yin

公用射隼,于高墉之上,獲之,無不利。

公侯用箭射高墉之上的猛禽,射中之,無不利。最後解除大障,射隼即除惡之象。

The topmost SIX shows a (feudal) prince (with his bow) shooting at a falcon on the top of a high wall, and capturing it. (The effect of his action) will be in every way advantageous.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

公用射隼,以解悖也。

公射隼,是解除悖逆。

用Use

把象套到你的情境,取一個可行的下一步。Apply the image to your situation; take one practical step.

解·夙·赦過宥罪

Release · early action · forgiving errors

把象套到你的情境 · Apply the image to your situation
  1. 初六始危機剛紓解的轉折點,無咎。Just past the crisis turning point: no error.
  2. 九二矢用中正之法清除三害:壞用戶、壞合作、壞心態。Use an upright method to remove three evils.
  3. 六三寇資歷不足而坐高位,招同行嫉妒。Underqualified for the role: invites peer envy.
  4. 九四拇切斷與佞人的牽連,真朋友自來。Cut sycophant ties, and true friends arrive.
  5. 六五解君子既能除大惡,又能感化小人。Removes great evil while moving even small minds.
  6. 上六隼果決射除組織高位的大惡,無不利。Decisively shoot down the senior wrongdoer: all-favorable.
可行的一步 · Practical move

解卦講「夙吉」,也講「赦過宥罪」與「公射隼」。紓解要趁早,對小錯要寬,對大惡要果決。最忌六三「負且乘」,位子配不上能力,反而招災。

Jie comes down to acting early, forgiving small faults, and being decisive against great evil, as in 'the duke shoots the falcon.' Act early, be lenient with minor faults, decisive against great evil. Worst case: line 3's 'load on a carriage' — a position not earned invites trouble.

失手之處 · Failure mode

六三「負且乘,致寇至」是現代常見的失,德不配位卻享其利,反招同行攻擊與小人覬覦。得到什麼之前,先看看自己配不配。

Line 3's 'load on a carriage, robbers come' is a common modern failure: enjoying a position not earned by ability invites peer attacks and opportunists. Before taking something, ask first whether you deserve it.

義理Commentary4
三國·魏 (226–249 CE) · 三國·魏 (226–249 CE)王弼《周易注》Wang BiScholarly

王弼以為解卦的核心在「動而免乎險」,險中能動,動則出險,此為解。卦辭「夙吉」二字最深,紓解之時要趁早行動,遲則險再起。

Wang Bi takes the core of Jie to be 'moving and thereby escaping peril' — able to move within danger, and by moving, out of it: that is release. The deepest words in the Judgment are su ji, 'early, auspicious': at the moment of release, act promptly; delay, and the danger rises again.

北宋 · Northern Song程頤《伊川易傳》Cheng YiScholarly

程子強調大象「赦過宥罪」,紓解之時當寬大為懷,不再追究小過。他以為這是政治解紓的根本:除惡務盡,但赦小過。

Cheng Yi stresses the Great Image's 'forgive errors, pardon crimes' — at the moment of release, be large-hearted and stop prosecuting small faults. For him this is the root of political deliverance: remove the greatest evil thoroughly, but pardon the small offenses.

南宋 · Southern Song朱熹《周易本義》Zhu XiIntroductory

朱子直言:解者,難之散也。卦中六五為主,君子能解,連小人都受其孚信。學者觀此知:紓解的根本是君子之德。

Zhu Xi puts it plainly: Jie is difficulty dispersing. Line 5 is the master of the hexagram — the superior man is able to release, and even the small men are reached by his good faith. The student learns from this: the root of deliverance is the superior man's virtue.

21 世紀 · 21 世紀現代傳承·編輯組原創Modern lineageIntroductory

解是雷雨大作、鬱結散開的象,講危機過去之後怎麼收拾。卦辭「有攸往,夙吉」,該辦的事趁早辦,拖久了險又生回來。收拾時手上要分輕重。對首惡,上六「公用射隼于高墉之上,獲之,无不利」,高牆上那隻隼得一箭射下,不留後患;對眾人的小過,大象「君子以赦過宥罪」,難既已解,就別再翻舊帳。一頭果決,一頭寬大,兩樣並用纔算把危機收了尾。夙與赦,是解卦給的兩個字。

Jie is the image of thunder and rain breaking loose and the pent-up pressure dispersing — it is about how to clean up once the crisis has passed. The Judgment says 'if there is somewhere to go, early is auspicious': whatever needs doing, do it soon; drag it out and the danger grows back. And in the cleanup, weigh your hand. For the ringleader, line 6: 'the duke shoots the falcon on the high wall, gets it — nothing unfavorable.' That falcon on the wall has to come down with one arrow, no loose ends. For everyone else's small faults, the Great Image: 'the superior man forgives errors and pardons crimes' — the difficulty is already resolved, so stop reopening old accounts. Decisive at one end, generous at the other; only with both together is the crisis truly closed out. Su (early) and she (amnesty) — those are the two words Jie gives you.

注解Annotation8
解xiè/jiě

解開、鬆開,引申為危機化解。此卦講的是險難過去之後怎麼收拾局面。

To release, untie, loosen — the knot coming undone, the crisis dispersing.

夙sù

早、盡快。「夙吉」是說該辦的事要趁早辦,拖久了險又生回來。

Early, prompt — act without delay, before the danger grows back.

甲坼jiǎ chè

種子外殼裂開,指雷雨之後草木發芽破土而出的景象。

Seed casings splitting open — sprouts bursting out after thunder and rain.

宥yòu

寬恕、從寬處置。「赦過宥罪」是危機過後不再追究小過的做法。

To pardon, deal leniently with — the generous half of the cleanup.

黃矢huáng shǐ

黃色的箭,古時視為中正之器的象徵。九二得之,喻除惡能守中道。

The yellow (bronze) arrow — emblem of the central, upright instrument.

拇mǔ

腳的大拇趾,比喻微小卻黏著不去的牽連。「解而拇」是解除這層小小的牽絆。

The big toe — figure for a petty attachment that must be cut loose.

隼sǔn

猛禽,比喻為害最大的元凶。

Falcon, bird of prey — figure for the chief malefactor.

墉yōng

高牆,此處是隼棲身之處,喻惡人所占的高位。

High wall — the falcon's perch, i.e. the evildoer's elevated position.

歷史Context4
蹇解成對·阻紓循環
Jian and Jie — block and release

第 39 蹇與第 40 解為一對綜卦。卦序揭示:困境之後必有紓解,這是中國循環觀看待逆境的態度。

Hexagram 39 Jian and Hexagram 40 Jie are a pair of inverses (zong gua). The sequence makes the point: after hardship must come release — the Chinese cyclical view's attitude toward adversity.

「赦過宥罪」·解後之政
'Forgiving errors, pardoning crimes' — post-release governance

大象「君子以赦過宥罪」,講的是危機過後怎麼收尾:小過不再追究,用寬大開新局。後世的大赦傳統,也是同一種思路。

The Great Image's 'the superior man forgives errors and pardons crimes' is about closing out a crisis: stop prosecuting small faults, and open the new era with leniency. The later tradition of the great amnesty (da she) follows the same thinking.

「公射隼」·除大惡之喻
'Duke shoots the falcon' — removing the great evil

上六「公用射隼於高墉之上」一句意象豐富,隼喻惡人,高墉喻其位高,射隼喻除之,寫得很有畫面感。

Line 6, 'the duke shoots the falcon on the high wall,' is rich in imagery: the falcon is the evildoer, the high wall his elevated position, and shooting the falcon his removal — a vivid piece of writing.

「負且乘」·不當位之戒
'Carrying load while riding' — warning of mismatched position

六三「負且乘,致寇至」講的是位子與能力不相稱的問題:帶著小人的擔子卻坐在君子的位置上,難免招來災禍。後世「德不配位,必有災殃」,說的是同一件事。

Line 3, 'carrying a load yet riding in a carriage — he brings robbers upon himself,' is about a mismatch between position and capacity: bearing a porter's burden while sitting in a gentleman's carriage will invite disaster. The later saying 'when virtue does not match position, calamity must follow' makes the same point.

練習Practice3
  1. char-recall

    「赦過宥罪」之意?為何紓解之時當寬而非嚴?

    What does 赦過宥罪 (she guo you zui) mean? Why be lenient at the moment of release?

  2. parse

    為何上六要「公用射隼」?除大惡與赦小過如何並行?

    Why must line 6 'shoot the falcon'? How do excising evil and forgiving errors coexist?

  3. line-read

    用六三「負且乘」評論一個你看見過「德不配位反招災」的事。

    Use line 3 to comment on someone whose unmerited position invited disaster.