Hexagram 38
睽 Kuí
Opposition
☲ Fire above ☱ Lake
Judgment 卦辭
小事吉。
Commentary
In small matters, good fortune. When people live in opposition and estrangement, they cannot undertake great things together—their views diverge too widely. Don't proceed brusquely; limit yourself to gradual effects in small matters. Opposition doesn't preclude all agreement. Polarity within a comprehensive whole has useful functions. Heaven and earth, man and woman—opposites that, reconciled, bring creation.
Classical Text
睽兌下離上 睽，小事吉。
Kui (Opposition) — Dui below, Li above Kui (Opposition): In small matters, good fortune.
Image 象
上火下澤，睽。君子以同而異。
Fire above, lake below—never mingling, each retaining its nature. The cultured person is never led into baseness through association with others. Regardless of all commingling, preserve your individuality.
Lines 爻辭
悔亡喪馬勿逐自復見惡人無咎
Remorse disappears. If you lose your horse, don't run after it—it returns by itself. Someone temporarily estranged through misunderstanding returns if left alone. When evil people attach through misunderstanding, simply endure them. They withdraw eventually. Don't force it.
Classical commentary
初九，悔亡。喪馬，勿逐自復。見惡人，无咎。
Initial Nine: Regret vanishes. Losing a horse — do not pursue it; it will return of itself. If one sees an evil person, there is no blame.
遇主于巷無咎
Meeting your lord in a narrow street. No blame. Misunderstandings make proper meetings impossible. An accidental, informal encounter serves the purpose when inner affinity exists.
Classical commentary
九二，遇主于巷，无咎。
Nine in the Second: One meets the master in an alleyway. No blame.
見輿曳其牛掣其人天且劓無初有終
The wagon dragged back, oxen halted, a man's hair and nose cut off. Everything conspires against you. Despite the opposition, cleave to the one you know you belong with. Bad beginning, good end.
Classical commentary
六三，見輿曳，其牛掣。其人天且劓，无初有終。
Six in the Third: One sees the carriage dragged back, its ox restrained. The person is branded on the forehead and has the nose cut off. No beginning, but there is an end.
睽孤遇元夫交孚厲無咎
Isolated through opposition. You meet a like-minded person you can trust completely. Despite the danger, no blame. Will achieves its aim; you become free of faults through this true connection.
Classical commentary
九四，睽孤，遇元夫。交孚，厲，无咎。
Nine in the Fourth: Opposed and isolated, one meets a man of original character. Mutual trust through exchange. Danger, but no blame.
悔亡厥宗噬膚往何咎
Remorse disappears. The companion bites through the wrappings. Going to him—how could it be a mistake? You fail to recognize a sincere person because of general estrangement. When they reveal their true character, go to meet them.
Classical commentary
六五，悔亡。厥宗噬膚，往，何咎？
Six in the Fifth: Regret vanishes. Its kinsman bites through the skin. Going forward — what blame could there be?
睽孤見豕負塗載鬼一車先張之弧後說之弧匪寇婚媾往遇雨則吉
Isolated through opposition, you see your companion as a pig covered with dirt, a wagon full of devils. First drawing a bow, then laying it aside. Not a robber—he will woo at the right time. As you go, rain falls, then good fortune. Misunderstanding reaches climax and reverses. Tension dissolves like rain after a thunderstorm.
Classical commentary
上九，睽孤。見豕負塗，載鬼一車，先張之弧，後說之弧。匪寇婚媾，往，遇雨則吉。
Top Nine: Opposed and isolated. One sees a pig covered in mud, a cartload of ghosts. First one draws the bow, afterward one puts the bow aside. It is not a bandit but a marriage partner. Going forward, encountering rain brings good fortune.