Hexagram 38 · Kui Opposition 火泽睽

“Opposition: in small matters, good fortune.”

The way of Kui (Opposition) can be called fortunate in small matters, such as parting from bad people and turning away from wrong affairs.

“Opposition: fire moves and goes upward, the lake moves and goes downward. Two women live together, but their wills do not go the same way.”

Speaking of the hexagram’s components, in Kui fire is above and moves, while the lake is in the lower place. The natures of these two things run opposite. The meaning is like two or three sisters, whose original wishes are the same while they live together, but who, when grown, marry into different homes: their wills are no longer the same.

“Joyous and clinging to brightness; the soft advances and moves upward, attains the centre and responds to the firm: therefore, in small matters, good fortune.”

Inwardly joyous and compliant, it also responds to the brightness outside; clinging to brightness and placed above, it seeks to advance by softness, and it attains the way of the centre and correctness and finds a response. In a time of opposition, although one cannot remove the opposition of the whole world, in small matters there is good fortune.

“Heaven and earth are opposed, yet their work is the same. Man and woman are opposed, yet their wills meet. The myriad things are opposed, yet their workings are alike. Great indeed is the use of the time of Opposition!”

Heaven is above and earth below; though they are opposed, yang from heaven descends and yin from earth rises, and so the myriad things are formed: their work is fundamentally the same. Man and woman differ in nature, but the will to seek each other is the same. The myriad things of the world differ, and that is opposition; yet all are formed by receiving the qi of heaven and earth, and in that they are the same. So although things differ, their root is the same. The sage uses the way of opposition to unite the world’s different multitudes into one; this is why the matter is great indeed.

“Fire above, the lake below: Opposition. The noble person accordingly is one with others and yet distinct.”

Fire is above and the lake below; the natures of the two things run counter to each other, which is the image of opposition. Observing opposition, the noble person knows that while he shares much with the common world, at times he must stand apart from others. The Doctrine of the Mean says, “in harmony but not swept along”; that is exactly this meaning.

“Regret disappears. Do not pursue a lost horse; it returns itself. See an evil person; no blame.”

This is the beginning of the hexagram, the first moment of opposition, and here firmness moves at the bottom in a time of opposition, so its regret can be imagined. At this time, because one cannot go forward, one loses one’s horse; if one does not chase it, the horse comes back by itself.

In a time of opposition there are surely many petty people. If one casts them all off, will not the whole world become one’s enemy? One would lose the broad, embracing capacity of Kun’s virtue and end in a place of misfortune. One could not transform them toward good, let alone unite with them. Hence the counsel that one must see evil people. That is why, since ancient times, those who could turn the treacherous into good people and turn enemies into subjects all did so because they did not refuse to see them.

“Seeing an evil person: in order to avoid blame.”

In a time of opposition, people’s feelings are at odds. To seek harmony and union, if the noble person avoids people because they are evil, he creates a host of enemies for himself. So seeing evil people is a way to avoid the regret of resentment and blame.

“Meet the master in an alley. No blame.”

A time of opposition is one when yin and yang do not unite, and firmness and harshness stand against each other. Even a central minister of yang firmness should approach his lord by a good way that is patient, indirect and tactful, hoping to bring about union; this is certainly not seeking to attach himself to the ruler by bending the way.

“Meeting the master in an alley: he has not lost the way.”

This means that one should move the ruler’s heart with utmost sincerity, so that he understands what is right and reasonable and can seek union; one must not bend the way to flatter and accommodate. That is truly not losing the way. Today’s petty people know full well what is wrong, yet in times of discord they know only how to flatter and fawn for their own profit, disregarding the right way. So those who change their purpose with the times are true petty people.

“See a carriage dragged back, its ox restrained, its person’s head marked and nose cut off. No good beginning, but an ending.”

The third line is at the top of the lower trigram; it means to leave the lower trigram and seek to advance upward. Now it meets the firmness of the fourth line as an obstacle, while the yang firmness of the second line is behind it. And at this time it also meets discord and disharmony. It is like an ox-cart on the road: the ox is restrained in front and the carriage is behind. In such a situation, if one still tries to force one’s way forward, one will surely be badly hurt by what is above. One should firmly keep to the way of centrality and correctness in responding, and wait for the time when opposition reaches its end, when there will surely be union. That is the good way to conduct oneself.

“Seeing the carriage dragged back: the position is not proper. No good beginning, but an ending: it meets the firm.”

Seeing the cart and ox held back and dragged along, one knows the position is not proper. The sage knows to follow principle, knows the time and holds firm, and waits until he meets the firm and can unite with it.

“Isolated in opposition, meeting a principal man and exchanging trust. Danger, no blame.”

The fourth line is near the ruler’s place, but the ruler does not respond to it; it is a time of opposition, hence it is isolated. It can only seek to unite with someone of the same virtue and associate with him in utmost sincerity. If it can do this, then although it is in danger, there can still be no blame.

“Exchanging trust, no blame: the will is carried out.”

In a time of opposition, when those above and below associate in utmost sincerity, there is not only no blame; their will can surely be carried out. So the way to remedy opposition lies only in noble people with yang firm talent helping one another in utmost sincerity; what then could they not accomplish?

“Regret disappears. One’s clan bites through skin. What blame in going?”

This is yin softness in the honoured place, in a time of opposition; its danger can be imagined. But it has the yang firm worthy of the second line to assist it, so regret can disappear. And the yang firm worthy can form a bond with it and enter deeply, so going forward brings blessing. It is like the mediocre Liu Shan, who, with Kongming (Zhuge Liang) assisting him, achieved the appearance of a revival.

“One’s clan bites through skin: going brings blessing.”

If a ruler whose talent is insufficient knows to trust worthy helpers and lets their way enter deeply into himself, things can still be done. People today do not know that their talent is insufficient and think that being a learned scholar is enough [the sense of 以为博士就是好的 is unclear]. Not only do they fail to accomplish anything, they make the discord worse, and the outcome will surely be misfortune.

“Isolated in opposition, seeing a pig covered in mud and a carriage full of ghosts. First drawing the bow, then loosening it. Not robbers but suitors. Going and meeting rain brings good fortune.”

At the extreme of opposition there is surely a return to the right way. It is like a person who sees a filthy pig covered all over in mud, and a cart carrying a crowd of evil ghosts; disgusted in his heart, he wants to draw his bow and shoot them. Then, thinking it over, he realises that acting would surely bring a backlash, and he does not shoot. Enemies and robbers are turned into marriage partners; yin and yang unite and become rain.

So at first there is opposition because of suspicion, and when opposition reaches its extreme there is union because suspicion is gone, just as yin and yang of heaven and earth [meet] to make rain. Going and meeting it brings good fortune.

“The good fortune of meeting rain: all suspicions vanish.”

Rain forms because of the harmony of yin and yang. So harmony and union can come about because doubts and suspicions have entirely vanished.