初六：剥床以足，蔑贞凶。
Damage begins at the supports. Do not ignore it because the surface still holds; examine the most basic commitments and conditions.
I Ching Hexagram 23
Bō · Splitting Apart
剥 · Hexagram 23
Bo describes support wearing away from below. A mountain depends on the Earth beneath it; height cannot compensate for a damaged foundation. Notice where strength is being lost and preserve what can support a future, instead of insisting on the previous scale.
Upper trigram: Mountain/Gèn
Lower trigram: Earth/Kūn
The situation you may be in
Relationships, resources, or confidence may be diminishing, and familiar methods no longer work. More effort alone cannot solve a change in the conditions that supported the situation.
How to respond
Stop actions that further damage the foundation and reserve energy for essentials and dependable relationships. Distinguish an exhausted outer form from what can seed renewal, without maintaining appearances at every cost.
Judgment and Image
Judgment
剥：不利有攸往。
Splitting Apart. It does not further one to go anywhere.
Image
山附于地，剥；上以厚下安宅。
Mountain resting on the earth: Splitting Apart. Those above secure their position only by giving generously to those below.
Applying it to real life
Love & relationships
Take the steady loss of respect and trust seriously instead of covering harm with greater giving. Protect boundaries first; repair depends on willingness from both people to change actual conduct.
Career & work
Examine the people, resources, and basic quality that sustain work. If these are eroding, avoid widening commitments. Preserve essential capability rather than an impressive scale.
Choice & decisions
Choose what preserves essentials and reduces continuing loss. Previous investment is not sufficient reason for further commitment; recognizing changed conditions leaves strength for a new beginning.
Timing & pace
This is a period for consolidation and protection. Look for emerging support before declaring a turn; wanting the difficulty to end does not prove that decline has reached its limit.
The six changing lines
The lines unfold from the bottom upward, describing one pattern of change from its first appearance to its extreme. If your reading has a changing line, begin with that position.
六二：剥床以辨，蔑贞凶。
Erosion is spreading upward. Without renewed support, continued strain becomes more dangerous; reduce what the weakened structure must carry.
六三：剥之，无咎。
Even within a declining situation, you can disengage from a damaging attachment and preserve judgment rather than sharing the drift.
六四：剥床以肤，凶。
Damage now reaches personal security. Treat it as an immediate condition rather than a distant possibility, seeking practical protection and dependable help.
六五：贯鱼，以宫人宠，无不利。
Dispersed forces can still regain order through cooperation. Adjustment remains possible without turning disorder into competition among those affected.
上九：硕果不食，君子得舆，小人剥庐。
Preserve the seed and the support that remain for renewal. Taking only for immediate gain can consume the last shelter available.
A common misreading
Bo does not mean destroying everything. The final line preserves a great fruit, suggesting value that can survive decline. The loss of an old support is not a judgment against your whole life.
Related hexagrams
Text and interpretation
Updated 12 September 2026Reviewed by MysticEast Research
This page preserves the Chinese Judgment, Image, and line texts of the received Zhouyi. MysticEast's modern explanations are newly written to emphasize stages of change and practical judgment rather than fixed good-or-bad predictions.
Read the Zhouyi at the Chinese Text ProjectLet the hexagram meet your actual question
A guide gives you the map. A cast made with a clear question can help locate the exact stage of change you are experiencing.