A source-first reading note for Hexagram 23, Bo (Splitting Apart), with a reference translation, trigram frame, and one reversible observation practice.
Reference translation
Splitting Apart. It does not further one to go anywhere. The Commentary on the Judgment says: Splitting Apart means stripping away. The yielding alters the firm. "It does not further one to go anywhere," for the inferior men are growing. To yield and arrest it — this is seen in the image. The superior man heeds the alternation of decrease and increase, of fullness and emptiness, for such is the course of heaven. The Commentary on the Image says: The mountain rests upon the earth: the image of Splitting Apart. Thus those above secure their dwellings by giving generously to those below.
See the original-text and authority layers in the complete catalog entry.
Context from the authority layer
Yin flourishes while yang wanes—this is the overall character of the Bo hexagram. In nature, yang energy is on the verge of being stripped away entirely by yin: autumn winds turn harsh and severe, and the grasses and trees wither and fall. In the realm of society and human affairs, it represents petty men gaining power, the moral order falling into disarray, and the fortunes of the state declining. Thus the noble person observes these images and comes to understand the Way of Heaven, recognizing what the times require. On one hand, in the period of "stripping away," one should "yield and halt," and "make no journey forth.
Read the structure before the slogan
The lower trigram is 坤 (地), associated in the bundled corpus with 顺; the upper trigram is 艮 (山), associated with 止. Read the lower trigram as the inner or starting field and the upper trigram as the outward field before turning the pattern into advice.
One accountable observation practice
Copy one concrete verb, condition, or image from the reference translation for Hexagram 23. Name one place where it is observable in the situation you are examining. Then choose one small step you can reverse and write the condition that would make you review it.
Common misread to avoid
Do not turn Splitting Apart into a personality label, a guaranteed event, or a verdict about another person. The translation and trigram frame are source layers to examine, not an instruction to surrender judgment.
Source boundary
The reference translation and context are drawn from Yarrow's bundled structured Zhouyi authority layer. Yarrow keeps that layer separate from optional modern reflection. This page does not claim that Hexagram 23 was cast for your question.