Hexagram 11
Peace - The Tai Hexagram
泰
Meaning and Overview
The Tai hexagram has Earth above and Heaven below. Earth is yin, small; Heaven is yang, great. Heaven, being great, descends below Earth, symbolizing spring when yang energy descends. 'Small going' refers to yin energy rising upward. Yin and yang intermingle, clouds move and rain falls; spring arrives, all things grow. The phrase 'three yangs opening peace' conveys this meaning. The image of Tai shows that only through the interaction of yin and yang can all things be generated. Moreover, a crucial feature of Tai is its development from bottom to top: the lower trigram is yang, and as it rises, the yin lines of the upper trigram Kun transform into yang lines. Since yang represents the noble person and yin the petty person, this development signifies the noble person influencing and transforming the petty person into a noble one. However, when Tai reaches its extreme, reversal occurs: the city wall collapses, orders become chaotic, and the situation deteriorates. In the Zhouyi, the first line is the beginning, the top line the end, and the middle lines represent the process. The fourth and fifth lines represent key stages in the process of development, embodying the law of gradual progression from the inner to the outer and from the lower to the upper. The changes of the six lines in the Tai hexagram vividly illustrate the waxing and waning of yin and yang and the interplay of firmness and gentleness, ultimately reaching an extreme at the top line (Shangliu), which foretells the inevitable turning point from prosperity to decline.
Chinese Interpretation
《泰》卦上坤下乾，坤为地，为阴，为小。乾为天，为阳，为大。乾为大，来到地下，是指春天，阳气下降。小往，是指阴气上升，来到上面。阴阳相交，云行雨施，春天来临，万物生长，三阳开泰就是这个意思。《泰》卦卦象表明，阴阳往来交通，才能化生万物。除此之外，《泰》卦卦象，还有一个非常重要的特征，就是卦从下往上发展，《泰》卦下卦为阳，往上发展，上卦坤的阴爻会变成阳爻，因为阳为君子，阴为小人，所以《泰》卦的这种发展局势意味着君子感化小人，将小人教化成君子。《泰》卦发展到最后，物极必反，城墙将倒塌，政令混乱，局势会变坏。《周易》每卦的初爻为始，上爻为终，中间四爻、五爻代表发展过程中的关键阶段，体现了事物由内而外、由下至上逐步推进的规律。泰卦的六爻变化，正是阴阳消长、刚柔相济的生动写照，最终在“上六”达到极致，预示着盛极而衰的必然转折。
Line Interpretations
These passages include the core hexagram statement, the six moving line texts, and traditional commentary where available. Read them as layered guidance: the early lines describe the root of the situation, while later lines reveal development, pressure, and outcome.
小往大来，吉，亨。
小人外出，君子进来，吉利，通达。
The small goes, the great comes. Good fortune. Success.
The petty person departs, the noble person arrives. Auspicious and smooth.
初九，拔茅茹，以其汇，征吉。
初九爻，拔取茅草，茅草之间根与根相连，汇集在一起，用来祭祀，吉祥。
The first nine: Pulling up the thatch, it clings to its kind. Undertaking brings good fortune.
The first nine line: Plucking thatch, the roots are intertwined; gathering them together for sacrifice is auspicious.
九二，包荒，用冯河，不遐遗，朋亡，得尚于中行。
九二爻，有能力包纳一切，用来渡河，不会遗弃远方的百姓，能以柔道安抚边民；不会结党营私，一心为公，能够行事中正、不偏不倚，以符合中庸之道为准则。
The second nine: Embracing the wilderness, crossing the river, not abandoning the distant, leaving no clique, gaining honor through the central way.
The second nine line: Able to embrace all things, using this to cross the river, not abandoning distant people, pacifying border folk with gentleness; not forming factions, acting with public spirit, upright and impartial, following the doctrine of the mean.
九三，无平不陂，无往不复。艰贞无咎，勿恤其孚，于食有福。
九三爻，没有平地不变为水池坡地的，没有一去不回的，沧海桑田，互相变化。戒惧谨慎，就会避免过失。不要担心别人不信任，禄食丰厚，五福值得庆贺。
The third nine: No level ground without slopes, no going without return. Perseverance in difficulty brings no blame. Do not worry about trust; in food there is blessing.
The third nine line: No flat land that does not become slopes or pools, no going that does not return; all things change like seas becoming fields. With caution and vigilance, one avoids mistakes. Do not worry about others' trust; blessings and abundant food are worthy of celebration.
六四，翩翩不富，以其邻，不戒以孚。
六四爻，阴爻相连，纷纷下降，与阳爻互相结合，不必抱持戒心，阴阳互相信任。
The fourth six: Fluttering down, not rich, with its neighbor, without caution, in trust.
The fourth six line: Yin lines linked, descending together, uniting with yang lines; no need for caution, yin and yang trust each other.
六五，帝乙归妹，以祉元吉。
六五爻，帝乙嫁妹妹，福祉降临，十分吉祥。
The fifth six: Di Yi gives his daughter in marriage. This brings blessing and supreme good fortune.
The fifth six line: Di Yi marries off his younger sister; blessings descend, supremely auspicious.
上六，城复于隍，勿用师，自邑告命，贞吝。
上六爻，城墙倾塌，倒在城外的深沟里。不要轻举妄动，征用军队。赶快回到自己的封地，整肃号令，坚守正道，拨乱反正，不应过分拘谨。
The top six: The city wall falls back into the moat. Do not use the army. From the city issue commands. Perseverance brings regret.
The top six line: The city wall collapses into the deep moat outside. Do not act rashly or mobilize the army. Quickly return to your own domain, rectify orders, hold to the right path, restore order, and do not be overly cautious.