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Hexagram 32 — Bo, Splitting Apart
Chronological no. 32 (binary-weight order) · King Wen no. (traditional) 23 · 剝
By Anibal Edelberto Amiot — Updated October 1, 2026
the youngest son
the mother
The mountain rests upon the Earth: the image of splitting apart. What seemed most solid — the mountain's own mass — is in fact only sustained by a base that can give way. This is the figure of collapse awaiting whoever neglects its foundations. Thus the great secure what lies below, that their own house may find rest: before building higher, one must always strengthen what carries the weight.
The collapse of the old edifice frees the energy of new growth. What crumbles does not take everything down with it: the ruin of an exhausted form releases the space and energy needed for what follows. This line teaches not to fear the splitting apart of structures grown hollow — it always precedes renewal.
The six lines
At the base of the earth, emptiness closes over: what was still an opening begins to fill.
The receptive earth reaches its fullness: the silent welcome that carried the lower figure is about to assert itself.
At the threshold between earth and man, suppleness gathers weight: what once yielded by nature is about to harden.
In the listening of man, the hollow fills: the openness that received is about to assert itself.
At the sage's seat, emptiness fills: the suppleness that governed with discretion gathers a new force.
At the summit, fullness completes its course and breaks: what had culminated cannot go further without turning back.
Source: La Livrée d'Hermès, Anibal Amiot — chapter 7.1 (pp. 63–68). French version of this page.
For the notions used here — magic square, layer and casting, the Yi Jing — see the project lexicon.
The patterns of this hexagram
This hexagram is the binary complement of hexagram 31 — Guai, Breakthrough (63 − 32 = 31): its patterns have exactly the same shape, only their colours are permuted. Here are the eight patterns of hexagram 31, one for each admissible family.
Bases — YANG mutant
Bases — YANG
Pair of two — YANG + YIN mutant
Pair of two — YIN mutant + YANG mutant
Pair of two — YIN + YANG
Pair of two — YIN + YANG mutant
Triple — without YANG
Triple — without YANG mutant
Neighbouring hexagrams
31 — Guai, Breakthrough · 33 — Yi, Nourishment
Hexagrams sharing a trigram
Same upper trigram (☶ Gen): 33 — Yi, Nourishment · 34 — Meng, Youthful Folly · 35 — Sun, Decrease · 36 — Gen, Keeping Still · 37 — Bi, Grace · 38 — Gu, Work on What Has Been Spoiled · 39 — Da Chu, The Taming Power of the Great
Same lower trigram (☷ Kun): 0 — Kun, The Receptive · 8 — Yu, Enthusiasm · 16 — Bi, Holding Together · 24 — Cui, Gathering Together · 40 — Jin, Progress · 48 — Guan, Contemplation · 56 — Pi, Standstill
