Opposition
睽Kui
No. 38 · Fire over Lake
Kui (Opposition)
A time of people pulling apart and not seeing eye to eye. Big things are hard to pull off, small things still work, and the key is finding where you can cooperate despite the differences.
Cast your own hexagramUnder Kui (Opposition), people think differently and pull in different directions, so big matters are hard to settle in one go. Start by cooperating on small things, and agree on the main points while leaving room for differences.
Favorable
- Start with small things
- Agree on the main points, allow the rest
- Clear up misunderstandings yourself
- Talk in a different setting
Avoid
- Forcing a big proposal through
- Letting suspicion invent ghosts
- Pushing people to agree on the spot
- Deliberately avoiding people
Work and money
- Job search
- When you and your manager or company don't share the same values, hold off on a big switch. Kui (Opposition) favors small matters: take a small project or trial assignment first. The second line meets its lord in a lane, so informal introductions help when official routes stall.
- Business
- Big deals and big investments are hard to agree on now, and each partner has their own plans. Small orders and short-term work are fine under Kui (Opposition). Write down the terms both sides already accept, and negotiate the rest slowly.
- Money
- Partnerships and shared investments are prone to disagreement. Small, short-term amounts are fine; hold off on large commitments.
Love and people
- Single
- The Tuan commentary pictures two people under one roof whose wills don't travel together: what you want and who you meet don't match. Keep things light for now. If you get along, meet again; there is no rush to settle down.
- In a relationship
- Different outlooks and rhythms make small things blow up. The Tuan commentary says two who stand apart can still share one purpose: on the surface you differ, underneath you may want the same thing. Find the shared goal before the details.
- Getting back together
- Possible, but the misunderstandings need to come down first. The top line of Kui (Opposition) shows suspicion turning everything into ghosts. Check whether the old grievance was real; they are not necessarily your enemy.
- People and partnerships
- Someone on the team doesn't get along with you. The first line of Kui (Opposition) says seeing hostile people brings no blame: meet them politely when you need to, since avoiding them breeds resentment. Start cooperation with small tasks you agree on.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- Your way of studying doesn't match your teacher's or classmates', and there is no need to force it to. Under Kui (Opposition), follow the syllabus on the big picture and use your own methods for the details. Get a result in one subject or one chapter first.
- Moving and travel
- Short trips are fine. A big move is likely to cause disagreement with family or travel companions. Let everyone say what they want from the plan first; splitting up for part of the trip is no problem.
- Body and mind
- Kui (Opposition) makes it easy to wrestle with others and with yourself, and to grow more suspicious the more you think. Skip late-night judgments, get your routine back to normal, and write worries down to reread tomorrow. If you keep feeling unwell, have a doctor take a look.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- It is unlikely to arrive on your timeline, since the two sides move at different speeds. Small matters tend to hear back first. Big ones wait until misunderstandings are cleared and you are finally on the same wavelength.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- Both sides suspect each other, so a major lawsuit is unlikely to wrap up fast. Settle the small points first. The top line of Kui (Opposition) ends with meeting rain: once the suspicion lifts, the other side may not have been out to pick a fight at all.
- Lost things and people
- Small items are likely to be found, valuable ones less certain. Dui (Lake) is water and openings, Li (Fire) is bright places: look near water, the bathroom sink, inside open bags or containers, or under a lamp. Don't tear the place apart.
Making a decision
Set big decisions aside until views line up more. Small matters can go ahead as usual.
If you are…
Kui (Opposition) says heaven and earth are apart, yet their work is the same: you are arguing about the route, but everyone wants you to do well. Don't drop a change of major or a gap year on them all at once. Show them what you can do through small things first.
The two sides have different goals, and demanding full cooperation tends to break things down. Under Kui (Opposition), pick one small thing that benefits both of you. Inviting the other lead for coffee privately works better than arguing in a formal meeting.
This is the reading when no line is changing. With changing lines, Zhu Xi’s method says which line to read, and the result page after a casting tells you directly.
小事吉。
In small matters, good fortune.
Fire over Lake: Li (Fire) above, Dui (Lake) below. Fire burns upward and the lake's water seeps downward, so the two move further and further apart. That is Kui (Opposition): turning away from each other.
Nine at the beginning
悔亡，喪馬勿逐，自復；見惡人无咎。
Regret disappears. A lost horse need not be chased; it comes back on its own. Seeing evil people, no blame.
Someone has left or something is missing for now. Don't rush to chase it; what belongs with you tends to come back. Nor do you need to avoid people you clash with. Meeting them politely tends to cut down the conflict.
Small Image: 見惡人，以辟咎也。
Nine in the second place
遇主于巷，无咎。
Meeting one's lord in a narrow lane. No blame.
When official channels are blocked, it is fine to talk with your manager or a key person privately and informally. As long as your aim is sound, changing the setting is not going off course.
Small Image: 遇主于巷，未失道也。
Six in the third place
見輿曳，其牛掣，其人天且劓，无初有終。
One sees the cart dragged back, its ox held fast in front, and its driver with head shaved and nose cut off. No good beginning, but a good end.
You are caught between two forces, blocked in front and behind, and may take some injustice or lose face. Don't force it now. Hold your position; the relationship can still be mended in the end.
Small Image: 見輿曳，位不當也。无初有終，遇剛也。
Nine in the fourth place
睽孤，遇元夫，交孚，厲无咎。
Isolated through opposition, one meets a good man of like mind, and they trust each other sincerely. There is danger, but no blame.
When most people around you are out of step with you, find one person you can truly trust and work together. Mutual trust can carry you through, but things are still tense, so move carefully and keep a low profile.
Small Image: 交孚无咎，志行也。
Six in the fifth place
悔亡，厥宗噬膚，往何咎。
Regret disappears. Joining with one's kin is as easy as biting soft flesh. Going forward, what blame could there be?
People who were already on your side are easy to reach agreement with now. Go to them, talk it all through, and the cooperation tends to go more smoothly than you expect.
Small Image: 厥宗噬膚，往有慶也。
Nine at the top
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, one sees a pig covered in mud, and a cart full of ghosts. First one draws the bow, then lays the bow down. Not a robber: a suitor seeking marriage. Going on and meeting rain brings good fortune.
You may be thinking the worst of someone, and the more suspicious you get, the scarier things look. Stop and check the facts. Once the misunderstanding clears, they may turn out to be offering cooperation or goodwill.
Small Image: 遇雨之吉，群疑亡也。
睽，火動而上，澤動而下；二女同居，其志不同行；說而麗乎明，柔進而上行，得中而應乎剛；是以小事吉。天地睽，而其事同也；男女睽，而其志通也；萬物睽，而其事類也；睽之時用大矣哉！
Kui (Opposition): fire moves and goes up, the lake moves and goes down. Two daughters live in the same house, but their wills do not travel together. Gladness clings to brightness; the yielding advances and moves upward, gains the center and responds to the firm. Hence good fortune in small matters. Heaven and earth are apart, yet their work is the same. Man and woman are apart, yet their wills connect. All things are apart, yet their doings fall into kinds. Great indeed is the timely use of Kui.
The Image上火下澤，睽；君子以同而異。
Fire above, the lake below: this is Kui (Opposition). The noble person, seeing this, is one with others in the main yet keeps their own differences.
The Sequence: why it comes here家道窮必乖，故受之以睽；睽者乖也。
Before this comes Jia Ren (The Family). When the way of the family runs to its end, people drift apart, so Jia Ren is followed by Kui (Opposition), and Kui means estrangement.
Miscellaneous Notes睽外也，家人內也。
Kui (Opposition) faces outward; Jia Ren (The Family) faces inward. Kui is people growing distant and turning away, while Jia Ren is living under one roof and drawing close. The two hexagrams are each other turned upside down.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Kui mean for love?
The Tuan commentary pictures two people under one roof whose wills don't travel together: what you want and who you meet don't match. Keep things light for now. If you get along, meet again; there is no rush to settle down. Different outlooks and rhythms make small things blow up. The Tuan commentary says two who stand apart can still share one purpose: on the surface you differ, underneath you may want the same thing. Find the shared goal before the details.
What does Kui mean for work?
When you and your manager or company don't share the same values, hold off on a big switch. Kui (Opposition) favors small matters: take a small project or trial assignment first. The second line meets its lord in a lane, so informal introductions help when official routes stall. The team is split, and pushing a big proposal through is likely to fall apart. Pick a small piece of work both sides agree on, get a result, then widen from there.
With Kui, will what I am waiting for come?
It is unlikely to arrive on your timeline, since the two sides move at different speeds. Small matters tend to hear back first. Big ones wait until misunderstandings are cleared and you are finally on the same wavelength.
With Kui, will I find what I lost?
Small items are likely to be found, valuable ones less certain. Dui (Lake) is water and openings, Li (Fire) is bright places: look near water, the bathroom sink, inside open bags or containers, or under a lamp. Don't tear the place apart.
A hexagram answers one question; your chart shows the whole of you and your year.
The classical text follows the standard edition of the Zhouyi. The plain readings are Xingge’s own, offered as a reference, not as the final word.