Hexagram 40 · Line 6
Deliverance — 上六
Xie · Shang Liu
The Line
The prince shoots at a hawk on a high wall. He brings it down. Everything is furthering.
Interpretation
The hawk on a high wall is the image of a powerful lowly person in a high place, who hinders deliverance. He resists influence through inner effects, since he is hardened in his wickedness. He must be forcibly removed; for this the corresponding means are needed. Confucius says of this: "The hawk is the object of the hunt. Bow and arrow are the tools and means. The shooter is the human being, who must use the means to the end rightly. The noble one keeps the means hidden in their person. They wait for the time, and then they act. How should not all then go well? They act and are free. Therefore they need only go forth and bring down the prey. So it stands with a human being who acts after they have prepared the means."