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Hexagram 38: Opposition

䷥ 睽 (Kuí) · Opposition. Find common ground in small things.

difference, estrangement, small steps, perspective

Lower trigram: Lake ☱ · Upper trigram: Fire ☲

The judgment

Two forces pull in different directions, like fire rising and water sinking. Large joint undertakings are hard right now, but small matters can still go well. Differences are not only a problem: they can show each side more clearly what it is.

The image

Fire above Lake: the flames rise while the water settles lower. Among others, stay yourself; you can join in fully without giving up who you are.

The six lines

Read only the lines that changed in your casting, counting from the bottom.

• Line 1 (bottom): If your horse runs off, don't chase it; it tends to find its own way back. Meet difficult people politely so you don't make a needless enemy.
• Line 2: You run into someone important in a narrow lane rather than at the formal gate. An informal meeting can bridge a gap that official channels can't.
• Line 3: The cart is dragged back, the oxen are halted, and you feel thwarted and even shamed. A rough start like this can still lead to a good ending.
• Line 4: Isolated by disagreement, you meet someone who sees things as you do. Trust each other in good faith and the danger passes.
• Line 5: Regret falls away. Someone close bites through what kept you apart as easily as through soft skin, and going to meet them is no mistake.
• Line 6 (top): Lonely and suspicious, you see a friend as a pig caked in mud or a cart full of demons, and you draw your bow. Then you lower it, because this is a friend and not a foe; as the tension breaks like rain, things can turn out well.

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