Hexagram 59
DispersionHuàn 渙
Also translated as Dissolution, Scattering, Dissolving.
Wind / Wood above Water below
Wind blows over water and breaks up the ice. Huan is dissolution, the scattering of what has become rigid, divided or frozen: hardened attitudes, factions, selfishness, fear. It is the work of melting barriers and reuniting what has fallen apart, often through shared meaning, ritual or a common purpose greater than individual interests.
Judgment
渙：亨。王假有廟，利涉大川，利貞。
Dispersing: success. The king goes to his temple. Favorable to cross the great river. Steadfastness is favorable.
Image
風行水上，渙；先王以享于帝立廟。
Wind moving across the water: dispersing. Taking this as a model, the former kings made offerings to the Lord on High and built temples.
- Dissolving rigidity
- Overcoming division
- Reuniting through shared meaning
- Letting go of ego
- Melting barriers
- dissolution
- release
- unity
- letting go
- barriers
- renewal
- Melt what is frozen before trying to rebuild.
- Shared meaning reunites what interests divide.
- Let go of the self-concern that keeps you apart.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Six at the beginning 初六
Line text
用拯馬壯，吉。
Rescuing with a sturdy horse: good fortune.
Disunity is only beginning. Act quickly and vigorously to prevent the split from widening.
- Early, vigorous help
- Preventing division
- Waiting until the rift is deep
- Healing a split early
Line 2Nine in the second place 九二
Line text
渙奔其机，悔亡。
As things scatter, one rushes to what holds one up. Regret passes.
When things are coming apart, return to what sustains you, such as your principles, good friends or a moderate view. That steadies you.
- Seeking support
- Returning to stability
- Drifting with the dispersion
- Regaining your footing
Line 3Six in the third place 六三
Line text
渙其躬，无悔。
Dispersing one's own self: no regret.
Dissolving your self-concern, your need to protect your ego, frees you to work for something larger. Nothing to regret here.
- Dissolving ego
- Serving something larger
- Clinging to self-interest
- Freedom through dedication
Line 4Six in the fourth place 六四
Line text
渙其群，元吉。渙有丘，匪夷所思。
Scattering the crowd: supreme good fortune. Scattering, a mound is gathered: not what ordinary minds expect.
Letting go of partisan loyalties allows a much larger unity to form. It takes vision that most people lack.
- Transcending factions
- Larger unity
- Partisan thinking
- Building something larger than any faction
Line 5Nine in the fifth place 九五
Line text
渙汗其大號，渙王居，无咎。
Dispersing like sweat, a great proclamation goes out. Amid the dispersing, the king stays in his place: no blame.
A clear, inspiring idea from a leader, like a fever breaking, can dissolve the stagnation. A leader who stays steady at the center gives everything else something to gather around.
- Inspiring proclamation
- Steady center
- Leaving the center when it is most needed
- A rallying idea that breaks the deadlock
Line 6Nine at the top 上九
Line text
渙其血，去逖出，无咎。
Scattering what is bloody: leave, keep away, get out. No blame.
Getting yourself and those close to you away from danger and conflict is the right move. Distance dissolves the harm.
- Removing yourself from harm
- Protective distance
- Staying close to danger
- Safety through withdrawal
Related hexagrams
Have a question on your mind?
Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
Wind over water: the spring wind that dissolves ice, or ripples that scatter across a surface. Huan can describe dispersal in two senses: what should be dissolved, such as rigidity, selfishness and conflict, and what has dispersed and needs gathering, such as a scattered group or divided energies. The judgment points to the king at the temple: shared reverence, ritual and purpose bring people together again.
The reading may suggest that rigid positions or estrangements are loosening, or need to be loosened, before progress is possible. The lines move from rescue, to dissolving one's own ego, to dissolving the group's factionalism. In relation to a question, Huan may emphasize letting go, reconciliation and finding something bigger to unite around.