Hexagram 40: Release
By Wendy Zhang, Founder of Solacely · Updated
解 · Jiě
Release. The southwest is favorable. If there is nowhere further to go, returning brings good fortune. If there is somewhere to go, going early brings good fortune.
The judgment
利西南，无所往，其來復吉。有攸往，夙吉。
Release. The southwest is favorable. If there is nowhere further to go, returning brings good fortune. If there is somewhere to go, going early brings good fortune.
The image
雷雨作，解；君子以赦過宥罪。
Thunder and rain arise: the image of Release. The noble person pardons mistakes and forgives wrongdoing.
Thunder moves above water, the storm breaks, and the air clears. Tension built up in danger is released through decisive movement.
What Release means
Release is the relief that follows a period of obstruction. The storm breaks, the pressure lifts, and the landscape can breathe again. The judgment gives two practical rules. If the problem is resolved and nothing more needs doing, return to normal life rather than looking for new battles. If something does need attention, deal with it promptly before old difficulties settle back in. The southwest, the open plain, again stands for ease, simplicity, and cooperation. The Image is about generosity: pardon mistakes and let go of grievances. After a crisis, holding onto blame keeps the knot tied. Commentators note that thunder and rain revive the plants; release is a time for renewal. In daily life, this may mean settling a dispute, recovering from illness or stress, clearing old obligations, or simply getting back to ordinary rhythms. Avoid both lingering in the old difficulty and overreaching in the new freedom.
In love and relationships
Tension in love may finally ease. Misunderstandings can be cleared and old hurts forgiven if both of you are willing. Avoid dragging past arguments into a better present. Singles may feel lighter and ready to try again. Simple, warm reconnection matters more than analyzing everything that went wrong.
At work
A blocked project may start moving, or a stressful period may be ending. Tie up loose ends promptly and let go of grudges toward colleagues. Do not create new complications just because you have room again. Return to steady, efficient work and address remaining issues quickly while the momentum is good.
The six lines
Read a line when it is a changing line in your cast (a 6 or a 9).
无咎。
No blame.
The difficulty is easing, and you have done nothing wrong. This yielding line at the start is supported by a strong partner above. Rest, recover, and let things settle without fuss. Not every moment calls for analysis or action; sometimes the right response to relief is simply to accept it quietly.
田獲三狐，得黃矢，貞吉。
In the field he catches three foxes and receives a yellow arrow. Persistence brings good fortune.
Foxes stand for cunning, deceptive influences: flattery, misinformation, or your own excuses. This strong central line has the clarity to catch them. The yellow arrow signals a straight, moderate approach. Deal honestly with whatever has been undermining the situation, and keep your methods fair. Clear truth wins here.
負且乘，致寇至，貞吝。
Carrying a load and riding in a carriage invites robbers. Persistence brings humiliation.
Someone acts beyond their means or position, like a porter riding in a nobleman’s carriage with all his goods on display. It attracts trouble. If you are claiming status you have not earned, or flaunting gains, expect problems. Be modest and authentic. Persisting in pretense will only embarrass you.
解而拇，朋至斯孚。
Release your big toe. Then a friend arrives, and you can trust each other.
Something close to you, a habit, an old associate, or a dependency, holds you back like a weight at your feet. Let it go. Once you do, people of real integrity can connect with you. Clearing out what is unworthy makes room for relationships you can trust.
君子惟有解，吉；有孚于小人。
Only the noble person can bring release. Good fortune. This proves sincere even to petty people.
The ruler’s place, held by a yielding line, frees things from within. Real release begins with you letting go of the habits or companions that keep trouble alive. Once you commit to that, even people who hoped to use you see that you mean it and fall back. Sincere change convinces skeptics where argument would not.
公用射隼，于高墉之上，獲之，无不利。
The duke shoots at a hawk on a high wall and hits it. Nothing that is not favorable.
One stubborn obstacle remains high up and out of reach: a person, problem, or attitude blocking full release. Now is the time to address it decisively. Prepare carefully, then act cleanly. The line favors a well-aimed move that removes the last barrier and opens the way completely.
Advice
Let the old tension go and forgive what can be forgiven. Settle what remains quickly, then return to an easier rhythm.
A question to reflect on
What grievance or burden am I ready to release now that the hardest part has passed?