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Chapter 23 of 64
东坡易传
The Bo Hexagram (Hexagram 23): Mountain over Earth, Gen above Kun ⛰️🌏
Hexagram Statement: Bo (Peeling) — It is not favorable to undertake any journey or advancement.
The Tuan Zhuan says: Bo means stripping and eroding. The force of yin gradually transforms and overcomes yang. The statement "not favorable to undertake any journey" is because the power of petty people is on the rise. To comply with circumstances while bringing them to rest is wisdom derived from observing the hexagram image. Only after perceiving a viable opportunity should one act. The noble person honors the laws of waxing and waning, of fullness and emptiness — this is precisely the way Heaven operates. 🌱
The Xiang Zhuan says: The mountain rests upon the great earth — this is the image of Bo. Those in high positions should treat those below with generosity, thereby securing the foundation. When one is at ease and the people are drawn to them, the force of erosion naturally declines on its own, and there is no need to contend with it head-on. 🏔️
Initial Six: The bed is eroded starting from its feet — the correct path is scorned; maintain firm correctness to guard against peril. The Xiang Zhuan says: "The bed is eroded starting from its feet" — destruction begins from the very bottom.
Second Six: The erosion of the bed has reached the point between the bed frame and its feet (the "juncture" position) — the correct path is scorned; maintain firm correctness to guard against peril. The Xiang Zhuan says: "The bed is eroded at the juncture" — because there is not yet a kindred counterpart responding.
The yang lines are in the upper positions, so the noble person identifies with the three upper lines. What supports one is the bed, hence what lies below is the bed. The growth of yin's force is like water overflowing its banks, so it is called "scorn." The "juncture" is the part above the feet, situated between the bed frame and the legs — hence it is called the "juncture." The noble person, in regard to petty people, does not resent them for crimes as great as a mountain, but cherishes in them even the slightest trace of goodness. "The bed is eroded at its feet" — this has already spread to the "juncture," yet it is not directly declared inauspicious; only when it is said "scorned, then the peril is confirmed" does it become ominous. When petty people utterly obliterate the correct path, leaving nothing at all remaining, then peril becomes certain; if even a trace of goodness remains, then the noble person begins from that remaining goodness to win them over. Hence the text says: "The bed is eroded at the juncture — there is not yet a counterpart." When petty people do evil, they need someone to echo them before they become confident and resolute. Precisely when they have no counterpart responding to them yet — this is the moment when they are inwardly ashamed and have not yet resolved decisively to do evil.
Third Six: Situated amidst the process of erosion, yet there is no calamity. The Xiang Zhuan says: "Erosion without calamity" — because it has separated itself from the surrounding multitude of yin lines.
Wang Bi remarked: "The multitude of yin erodes the yang; this one alone assists the yang. Though situated amid erosion, it can be free of calamity." Above and below there are two yin lines each (Initial Six and Second Six below, Fourth Six and Fifth Six above); responding to the yang line necessarily means losing the approbation of the surrounding yin lines.
Fourth Six: The erosion of the bed has reached the flesh — perilous. The Xiang Zhuan says: "The bed is eroded to the flesh" — disaster is now close at hand.
When erosion has reached the flesh, it has begun to involve one's own person directly. Even if one wished to win them over through leniency, it is no longer possible, hence it is simply declared "perilous." ⚠️
Fifth Six: Threading through the school of fish (leading the group of yin lines), favored as one in the harem — nothing is unfavorable. The Xiang Zhuan says: "Favored as one in the harem" — in the end, there is no fault.
The age of the Guan (Contemplation) Hexagram is already nearly that of Bo, yet its hexagram statement does not implicate petty people, because its governing line is yang. Fifth Six is the governing line of the Bo hexagram; all of those that erode the yang are its kind. The sage cannot prevent them from being favored among their own kind, so he selects those whose harm is relatively shallow to approve of. From the Fourth line downward, this manifests the image of "threading fish." Extending favor from top to bottom, evenly distributed. When favor is evenly distributed, then power is dispersed; when power is dispersed, then the harm is shallower. To bestow the favor of harem members upon them is to keep them from involving themselves in governance. Not involving them in governance — how could this only bring peace to oneself? It also brings stability to them, hence "nothing is unfavorable." The sage teaches people to tolerate their occasional transgressions and to eliminate only what is excessive, so as to make them compliant by degrees. If one demands they be entirely without fault, then they will simply refuse to comply. 🐟
Top Nine: The great fruit is not eaten; the noble person obtains a carriage (the people support them); the petty person peels away the roof of the house. The Xiang Zhuan says: "The noble person obtains a carriage" — carried by the people; "the petty person peels away the roof" — in the end, such a one cannot be employed.
Fruit is never without being eaten; if it is great and yet not eaten, it must be inedible. The wise leave it; the foolish cling to it. Top Nine has lost the hearts of the people for a long time; the force of the five yin lines is sufficient to crush and seize it. Yet Top Nine stands alone in the highest position — but this merely preserves an empty title for image's sake. Cooperating with it means survival; not cooperating means destruction. The noble person regards this as inedible fruit and hastens to depart from it. When it attains its ambitions at the top, it will inevitably devour what lies beneath, so the noble person leaves its upper position and descends to its lower position, thereby gaining the support of the people. What bears one from below is called a "carriage"; what shelters from above is called a "roof." A "roof" that remains after the process of erosion — how could it be used again! 🚗
The Bo Hexagram reveals the process by which yin force progressively erodes yang substance layer by layer. Using the "bed" as metaphor, it advances from the bed's feet, to its juncture, to the sleeper's flesh — each stage moving closer, until erosion is nearly complete. The central ideas of the entire hexagram are:
The modern relevance of the Bo Hexagram is remarkably rich, particularly applicable to organizational decline, deteriorating relationships, and downward industry cycles:
| Scenario | Message of Bo | Recommended Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Encountering petty people's maneuvering in the workplace | Don't engage head-on, don't rush to counterattack | Deepen professional credentials, earn the trust of colleagues and superiors, and cause opponents to lose their support base |
| Enterprise in a downward industry cycle | "Not favorable for advancement" — avoid aggressive expansion | Contract operations, preserve cash flow, and await opportunities after the industry's shakeout |
| Factionalism growing within a team | The "threading fish" differentiation strategy | Distribute resources and attention evenly, avoid concentrated delegation of authority, prevent cliques from forming monopolies |
| Individual enduring toxic relationships or environments | "The great fruit is not eaten" — cut losses decisively | Recognize relationships that exist in name only, actively extricate oneself, and seek genuinely beneficial communities |
| Deep-layered resistance encountered in reform | Start from the "bed's feet," secure the foundation below | Stabilize the base first, advance progressively, never rush success, don't collide with the erosion at its peak |
Framework Example — "Hypothesis → Action → Review":
The Bo Hexagram embodies a profound view of cyclical cosmic order. In his commentary on the Tuan Zhuan, Su Dongpo emphasizes that "the noble person honors the laws of waxing and waning, the way of Heaven." Erosion is not an ending, but one link in the chain of ebb and flow. As with the turn of seasons, autumn and winter's defoliation gives way to spring and summer's growth. The true noble person does not fixate on the gains and losses of any single moment, but integrates personal advance and retreat into the greater rhythm of the cosmic way.
The philosophical foundation of "complying while bringing to rest" lies in the recognition of momentum (shi). When momentum cannot be reversed, going against it is reckless action; complying and pausing in accord with it is wisdom. But "pausing" is not an end; it is gathering strength for what is to come. This attitude of maintaining initiative within passivity shares a lineage with the Daoist principle of "acting through non-action" (wu wei er wu bu wei), while also carrying the practical rationality of the Confucian "timely mean."
Another level meriting contemplation: the root of erosion lies in internal causes, not external enemies. The bed can be eroded because it is, by nature, subject to erosion; yang can be corroded because space has already opened within it for yin to grow. Thus, the ultimate strategy against erosion is not reinforcing external defense, but consolidating inward — what "securing the foundation below and dwelling" points to is the continuous cultivation of one's inner foundation. In this sense, the Bo Hexagram is a mirror that reflects the starting point of every decline. 🪞