Hexagram 38
Kui - Opposition - The Clashing
睽
Meaning and Overview
The upper trigram of Hexagram Kui is Li, Fire; the lower trigram is Dui, Lake or Water. Fire and water are incompatible, thus the hexagram symbolizes opposition and divergence. Moreover, Li is a yin trigram, and Dui is also a yin trigram; yang is great, yin is small. Therefore, Hexagram Kui is not suitable for great affairs but only for small matters. The hexagram statement 'Small matters bring good fortune' conveys this meaning. The Tuan Commentary explains why small matters are auspicious, revealing that within opposition there is connection, and within difference there is sameness. Why is there separation? The Tuan says: 'Fire moves upward, water moves downward; two women dwell together, but their wills do not act in unison.' From the hexagram image, fire blazes upward, water flows downward—one rises, one descends, each going its separate way. Li represents the middle daughter, Dui the youngest daughter; though the two women share a room, when they grow up and marry, they will go their separate ways. The fifth line (yin) and the second line (yang) occupy the central positions, responding to each other in yin-yang harmony—this is called 'the yielding advances upward, attains the center and responds to the firm.' Thus small matters bring good fortune. The Tuan then explains that many things in the world are both opposed yet connected: heaven and earth, male and female, all things—none are exceptions. 'Heaven and earth are opposed, yet their actions are unified; male and female are opposed, yet their wills communicate; all things are opposed, yet their functions are similar.' The Tuan praises the great significance of Kui's principle: 'Truly great is the timely application of Kui!' The Xiang Commentary also presents a crucial philosophical and life proposition: 'The superior person seeks unity while respecting differences.' The noble person should pursue harmony amidst diversity, seeking common ground while preserving differences. Only then can society be harmonious and the world peaceful. If one forms cliques to attack dissenters, promoting those who agree and eliminating those who oppose, allowing hegemonism to prevail, society will be unsettled and the world thrown into chaos.
Chinese Interpretation
《睽》卦上卦是离，为火，下卦是兑，为泽，为水，水火不相容，因此卦象乖违。另外，离是阴卦，兑也是阴卦，阳为大，阴为小，因此，《睽》卦不能够干大事，只适宜于干小事。卦辞说“小事吉”就是这个意思。彖辞说明为何小事吉，说明睽中有通、异中有同的道理。为什么会违隔呢？彖辞说：“火动而上，泽动而下；二女同居，其志不同行。”从《睽》卦的卦象来看，火势延烧向上，水势流动向下，一上一下，各奔一方，分道扬镳。离为中女，兑为少女，两个女子虽然同居一室，长大成人后嫁人要各奔东西。《睽》卦六五爻、九二爻居于中位，阴阳相应，即所谓“柔进而上行，得中而应乎刚”，因此干小事情会吉。彖辞接着说明世界上许许多多的事情都是睽违却又相通的道理，天与地，男与女，万事万物，莫不如此，“天地睽而其事同也，男女睽而其志通也，万物睽而其事类也”，彖辞赞叹《睽》卦的道理作用很大，“《睽》之时用大矣哉”！《睽》卦象辞还提出一个非常重要的哲学与人生命题，即“君子以同而异”，君子应该追求的是求同存异，如此，社会才会和谐，天下才会太平。如果党同伐异，顺我者昌，逆我者亡，霸权主义盛行，社会就会不得安宁，天下就会大乱。
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.
小事吉。
做小事情吉祥。
Small matters bring good fortune.
Doing small things brings good fortune.
初九，悔亡，丧马，勿逐，自复，见恶人，无咎。
初九爻，悔恨会消失，丢失了马匹，不要去追赶寻找，马匹自然会返回来；看见了恶人，不会有过错。
Nine at the beginning: Regret vanishes. Lose a horse—do not pursue; it will return of itself. See an evil person—no blame.
The first line, nine: Regret will disappear. If you lose a horse, do not chase after it; the horse will return on its own. Seeing a wicked person brings no fault.
九二，遇主于巷，无咎。
九二爻，在小巷道内碰见主人，没有过错。
Nine in the second: Meet the lord in a narrow lane—no blame.
The second line, nine: Meeting the master in a small alley—no fault.
六三，见舆曳，其牛掣，其人天且劓，无初有终。
六三爻，看见大车被拖住，驾车的牛被牵制，赶车人受了黥刑和劓刑，起初不利，最终有好的结果。
Six in the third: See the cart dragged back, the oxen held in check. The man is branded and his nose cut off. No beginning, but an end.
The third line, six: Seeing the cart held back, the oxen restrained, the driver punished with branding and nose-cutting—unfavorable at first, but good in the end.
九四，睽孤，遇元夫，交孚，厉无咎。
九四爻，孤单乖违，遇见了正直的人，诚信相交，虽有危险但无过错。
Nine in the fourth: Opposed and alone. Meet a sincere man; exchange trust. Danger, but no blame.
The fourth line, nine: Lonely and estranged. Meeting an upright person, interacting with sincerity—though dangerous, no fault.
六五，悔亡，厥宗噬肤，往何咎。
六五爻，悔恨消失，宗族中的人来咬食肌肤，前往有何过错。
Six in the fifth: Regret vanishes. His kinsman bites through the skin. To go—what blame?
The fifth line, six: Regret disappears. A clan member comes to bite the skin. Going forward—what fault is there?
上九，睽孤，见豕负涂，载鬼一车，先张之弧，后说之弧，匪寇婚媾，往遇雨则吉。
上九爻，孤单乖违，看见猪背上涂满污泥，又载着一车鬼怪，先张开弓箭，后又放下弓箭，不是盗寇而是来求婚的，前往遇雨就会吉祥。
Nine at the top: Opposed and alone. See a pig covered with mud, a cart full of ghosts. First draw the bow, then lay it aside. Not a robber, but a suitor. Go—meet rain, and good fortune.
The top line, nine: Lonely and estranged. Seeing a pig covered with mud, a cart full of ghosts. First drawing the bow, then putting it aside—not a bandit but a marriage proposal. Going forward, meeting rain brings good fortune.