Hexagram 43, Lake over Heaven: Resolve (Guai), is the 43rd of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching. It is made of the Dui trigram (lake) above and the Qian trigram (heaven) below, and it speaks about the moment for a firm decision, and about doing the cutting away openly and with integrity.

Hexagram 43 (Guai) at a Glance

Attribute	Detail
Number	43 of 64
Name	Lake over Heaven: Resolve (Guai)
Image	☱ over ☰ (lake over heaven)
Inner (lower) trigram	Qian ☰, heaven
Outer (upper) trigram	Dui ☱, lake
Element	Metal (both trigrams are Metal)
Season of the hexagram	Decision, cutting away, ruling
Yang lines	5 of 6
Flipped hexagram (turned upside down)	Hexagram 44, Heaven over Wind: Encounter (Gou)
Opposite hexagram (every line flipped)	Hexagram 23, Mountain over Earth: Splitting Apart (Bo)

The Original Text and Its Meaning

This part gives the classical wording of Hexagram 43 in English, with a plain explanation. If you only care about how the hexagram applies to daily life, feel free to skim it and jump to the later sections.

The Judgment

Guai: proclaim it in the royal court. Speak sincerely, though there is danger. Announce it from your own town. It is not favorable to take up arms. It is favorable to have somewhere to go.

In plain words: Guai means to resolve and to cut through. The Judgment says to make the matter public at court and to call out in good faith, even though there is risk. The announcement starts from your own town, force is not the way, and moving forward is favorable. The core idea is that when you cut away something harmful, do it openly and transparently, without schemes, and win people over with reason and legitimacy rather than power.

The Image

The lake rises up above heaven: this is Guai. A noble person, seeing this, gives out their rewards to those below, and treats keeping virtue to oneself as something to avoid.

In plain words: water has risen to the sky, which is the picture of Guai. The noble person sees it and shares their blessings downward, and hoarding credit or virtue is what to steer clear of. Water rising to heaven suggests that everything has filled to the point of overflowing. When you hold power and resources, a wise person shares them with those below instead of keeping them all. Not hoarding is the best way to avoid trouble.

The Six Lines

The six lines of Guai describe six different situations when a clear decision has to be made. Read from the bottom up: Line 1 is the lowest line and Line 6 is the highest.

Line	Classical wording	Plain meaning
Line 1 (nine at the start)	Strong in the front toes; going forward without winning is a fault.	Strength at the tip of the foot, but advancing without a win brings fault
Line 2 (nine in the second place)	Alert and calling out; at night there are armed men, but do not worry.	Stay watchful and sound the alarm; raiders may come in the dark, yet there is no need to fret
Line 3 (nine in the third place)	Strong in the cheekbones, misfortune. The noble person resolves and resolves; walking alone in the rain, soaked and resented, there is no fault.	Strength shows on the face, which is unlucky; the noble person is firm again and again, walks alone through rain and takes the grumbling, and comes to no harm
Line 4 (nine in the fourth place)	No skin on the thighs, walking with difficulty. Lead the sheep and regret disappears, but hearing the words, one does not believe them.	Walking is hard; going slowly like someone leading sheep removes regret, though advice goes unheeded
Line 5 (nine in the fifth place)	Pulling out the amaranth weeds with resolve; walking the middle path, there is no fault.	Even soft, fragile weeds must be firmly rooted out, and keeping to the middle path avoids fault
Line 6 (six at the top)	No calling out; in the end, misfortune.	No one to call on for help, and in the end there is misfortune

Reading the Six Lines in Everyday Terms

The six lines of Hexagram 43 are a map of six situations when a person has to make a firm decision: cutting off a relationship, turning down an offer, or ending a habit that has gone on for too long. Here is each line in everyday language.

Line 1: Strong feet, not enough preparation. Someone may be full of energy and want to act right away, yet not be ready. The line warns that pushing ahead without winning brings fault. This is not the time to charge forward. Check first: is there enough information, enough backing, and is the case really solid? Decisiveness without preparation turns into recklessness.

Line 2: Stay alert, even at night. You already know what must be cut, but danger can arrive when things seem calm. The line says to call everyone to stay alert and not to relax. Anyone preparing for a big change does well to have a backup plan. If you plan ahead, there is less to fear.

Line 3: Walking alone in the rain. This is the most complex line in the hexagram. You have made up your mind, but you must walk alone, meet difficulty, and upset other people. The line says there is no harm. Sometimes a right decision still annoys the people around you. Someone who has ended an unhealthy relationship will know this feeling: right, but still lonely; right, but still blamed. Bearing short-term discomfort can bring long-term relief.

Line 4: Hard to walk, leading the sheep. You are in a position of being torn. You want to decide but cannot make the cut, and you want to move forward but your footing is unsteady. The line suggests walking slowly, like someone leading sheep, without rushing. Leading the sheep brings peace of mind: it is better to go slowly than to go wrong. Anyone who wants to cut something away but fears the consequences can take small steps instead of one clean stroke.

Line 5: Take the middle path. This is the central position, with the power to decide. The line reminds you not to go to extremes. Cut away what is harmful while staying fair, without favoritism and without revenge. Walking the middle means leaning neither left nor right. When you have to dismiss someone, turn someone down, or rule on a matter, do it with integrity and not with emotion.

Line 6: No one to help, and a bad end. This is the only yin line, at the very top, and it is isolated. It is the picture of someone who has lost all allies, with nobody left to call on, and the ending is not good. The line is clear: in the end, misfortune. If you find yourself in a position where no one around you supports you, it may help to ask where you are standing. Sometimes the problem does not lie with the other people.

If you would like to cast a hexagram and read the matching explanation, you can try it on HOROS.

What Hexagram 43 Means for Love, Career, Money and Health

Love

Casting Hexagram 43 often signals that a relationship has reached the point of needing a decision: continue or stop, go public or stay hidden, forgive or part. The hexagram does not support long hesitation. If the relationship is good, make it public and take the next step. If it has run its course, cut it cleanly and do not let it drag on. For anyone holding on to a relationship only out of fear of being alone, this hexagram says that keeping the wrong one may be more tiring than letting go.

Career

In career matters, Hexagram 43 suggests a time to make clear decisions: parting with a poor fit, closing down a project that is not working, or declining a partnership that points the wrong way. The hexagram stresses doing it openly, transparently, and with good reason. Those who act out of personal revenge or self-interest tend to end badly. The strength of this hexagram lies in having the nerve to decide while keeping to principle: firm, but not cruel.

Money

For money, Hexagram 43 often suggests it is time to cut a loss or end an investment that is not paying off. Holding on longer will not make it better, and the longer it is held, the more it may cost. The hexagram favors a clean move: sell, stop, withdraw. Lost money can be earned back, but time sunk into the wrong thing cannot be recovered. On the other side, if a good opportunity is on the table and you hesitate, the hexagram also says: decide, and do not let it slip.

Health

For health, Hexagram 43 leans toward cutting a bad habit that is affecting the body: smoking, heavy drinking, late-night eating, sitting too long, or putting off a check-up. The hexagram says it plainly: knowing something is wrong and not fixing it leads to a bad end in the long run (Line 6). If you have been putting off dropping a bad habit, this may be the time. There is no need to wait for a special day. Decide today and start today.

Final Thoughts: The Spirit of Guai Is Resolve

The spirit of this hexagram can be boiled down to one word: resolve. Five yang lines have nearly gathered full strength, and only one last yin line remains to be cut away. Hexagram 43 reminds you that cutting is necessary, but how you cut matters even more. Cut with integrity and the matter is finished cleanly. Cut out of hatred and you may get hurt yourself. Some stages call for holding on and some for letting go. Knowing how to let go of the right thing at the right time takes courage.