Hexagram 40, Deliverance: The Hexagram Of Forgiveness That Still Shoots
Hexagram 40 teaches pardoning faults and easing punishment, yet its final line shoots a hawk off a high wall. Why does the I Ching refuse to wipe every slate clean?
Hexagram 40, Deliverance, is the fortieth of the 64 I Ching hexagrams. It is about untying: thunder and rain break out, and what was bound is released. Yet Deliverance does not teach unconditional forgiveness, because its final line is an arrow that brings down a hawk.
Today is Saturday 29 August 2026, an Yi-Hai day in the End of Heat solar term, under the "Balance" day officer. That officer places reconciliation among the favoured acts and litigation among the avoided ones. Day and hexagram say the same thing: untying works, winning the argument does not.
What does Hexagram 40 mean?
Deliverance is the fortieth hexagram, with Zhen (thunder) above and Kan (water) below. The word xie means to loosen, to untie. The judgement reads: "if there is nowhere to go, returning brings good fortune."
The root image is a late-season storm: days of heavy stillness, then thunder and rain, and the oppression dissolves. The judgement adds a second clause: "if there is somewhere to go, then hastening brings good fortune."
Why forgive and still shoot the hawk?
The image text says the noble one "pardons faults and forgives misdeeds". Yet the top line reads: "the prince shoots at a hawk on a high wall; he hits it."
Both belong to the same hexagram and do not contradict each other. Pardoning applies to what is over. Shooting applies to what is still perched on the wall — the thing that keeps doing harm.
This is where the I Ching parts ways with generic advice about letting go. Wiping everything clean to feel lighter leaves the heart heavy, because the knot itself was never untied.
Why Deliverance suits a "Balance" day
29 August 2026 is an Yi-Hai day, End of Heat, Balance officer — level and even, favouring reconciliation and levelling, avoiding lawsuits. Deliverance takes untying and pardoning as its very subject.
The commentary says "heaven and earth loosen, and thunder and rain arise" — exactly late summer. In Yi-Hai, the branch Hai (Water) nourishes the stem Yi (Wood): the lower supports the upper, so a third party standing in the middle is easy to find today. If Hexagram 2 and its frost warning taught reading early signs, today is the day to act on them.
Which line is most worth remembering?
The fourth line reads: "deliver yourself from your big toe; then the companion comes, and him you can trust." The big toe stands for whoever clings to you in the wrong place; loosen that grip and the trustworthy one can finally come close.
So what should you do today?
Pick exactly one person you still resent, and split the matter in two. What is finished is finished — stop replaying it. What is still ongoing, say once and say it plainly, today, not next week.
After reconciliation you still need to know how far apart to stand, which is the subject of Hexagram 10, Treading. And if nothing needs untying, the judgement permits rest: let all 64 I Ching hexagrams stay where they are.
Frequently asked questions
Is Deliverance favourable or unfavourable?
It leans favourable: both returning and setting out early are called good, and the top line closes with "nothing that is not furthered".
What does it mean to draw Deliverance?
A long blockage is about to be released. Act now — the judgement stresses earliness, not patience.
How should I frame a question about reconciliation?
Ask about your own action rather than the other person's feelings.
*Last updated: 29 August 2026*