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Hexagram 23: Splitting Apart, line 4.
The Bike That Would Not Die!
This story demonstrates that following the traditional text of the I Ching at face value is not always a great idea. It also shows the danger of self-fulfilling predictions.
I am the proud owner of an ancient and rather decrepit Vietnamese motorbike. It is so old that it might have been used in the war with the USA, and who knows? Maybe even Uncle Ho himself has ridden it.
This once-fine machine was given to me by a cool young Englishman who was returning home after his extensive travels and couldn’t find a buyer. Third gear did not work, and as it only has three gears, this means you have to grind around in second all the time—not good. However, I got the gears fixed for 30 dollars, and I rode it for a couple of years without much need for further repair.
Then the starter motor started to play up. I took it to various mechanics, who each tried different things. They changed lots of parts, which I had to pay for, but the problem only got worse, and eventually even the kickstart became impossible to use. The bike could not be ridden. My Cambodian friends said I was wasting my money and I should dump it and buy another one. On the face of it, I had to agree, but funds were short, so I decided to consult the I Ching. I asked if I should try to get it fixed. I received Hexagram 23. Splitting Apart Line 4. This is rated as one of the worst lines in the I Ching, and given that my rational opinion agreed with the hopelessness of the situation, I would most likely have abandoned the effort. However, I know this line quite well, and it is not necessarily a bad prediction at all. So, I was encouraged to take the bike back to one of the better mechanics.
He was also of the opinion that I was wasting my money. He said the bike was too old, and he didn’t want to work on it at all. He said I would probably complain if, as he thought most likely, he failed to get it working, and he didn’t want trouble with customers. However, I prevailed upon him to try, and he reluctantly agreed. He worked on it all that day. When I saw him the next day, the engine was in pieces, and he was covered with grime, sweating heavily, and in a foul mood.
On the third day, however, he was smiling and held aloft the miscreant part triumphantly. He had finally found what was wrong—something that was unusual, which was why no one else had found it before. The part was quite expensive, but he did the work very cheaply, as I am a regular customer. All in all, a good deal, about 25 dollars. The starter and kick worked perfectly. That was months ago, and there have been no more problems! I am very short of cash, and having to buy another bike would have dangerously strained my resources.
Hexagram 23 Splitting Apart. It does not further one to go anywhere. Wilhelm/Baynes:
This hexagram is powerful and may have long-lasting implications. It has two meanings, according to the context of the question. If you are asking about starting something new, then it is most unfavorable. Not only will the project fail, but the resources you devote to it will undermine your ability to do what needs to be done, and you may lose your path altogether. This meaning is pretty much the ‘face value’ of the traditional text.
However, if you are asking about an ongoing situation, it means that although things are bad now, yet, if you are patient and persist in what you are doing, fate will soon change and be in your favor. In this case, I was asking about something that was ongoing, so I chose the later meaning.
Line 4: Six in the fourth place means: The bed is split up to the skin. Misfortune.
Here the disaster affects not only the resting place but even the occupant. No warning or other comment is added. Misfortune has reached its peak: it can no longer be warded off.
In this hexagram, the 4th line is rated as highly unfavorable; however, in my experience, it means that things have gotten really bad, but the tipping point is near. If you hold on to your path and make a little more effort, fate will turn in your favor. If, on the other hand, you try to change tack and move in a new direction, you will experience misfortune. This line illustrates the common problem with I Ching predictions: getting the context right. If I had been asking about buying another bike, it would have been most unfavorable.
This story also shows the danger of misinterpreted, unfavorable predictions becoming ‘self-fulfilling’. Someone receiving this oracle and taking the traditional text at face value would probably give up in despair. They might let things slip and wait passively for things to improve. Act like this, and they have to wait a long time. Keep on steadily, and all will be well relatively soon.
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