I Ching Reading

Hexagram 38: Opposition

睽 · Kuí · Fire over Lake

divergencetensiondifferencesmall steps

Opposition (睽, Kuí) is hexagram 38 of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, in the traditional King Wen order. It is made of Fire (☲) above Lake (☱).

Meaning of hexagram 38

Views and directions are pulling apart. Yet differences can complement each other, and small cooperation still works.

Advice

Do not force agreement, look for common ground in small matters and be patient.

The two trigrams

Opposition places ☲ Fire (Lí), bright, clinging and clear, above ☱ Lake (Duì), joyful, open and pleasing. The lower trigram is the inner side of the situation and the upper one its outer side.

Hexagram
38. Opposition
Chinese name
睽 Kuí
Upper trigram
☲ Fire (Lí)
Lower trigram
☱ Lake (Duì)
Lines
4 yang (solid) and 2 yin (broken)
Place in the sequence
38 of 64 (King Wen order)

The six lines of Opposition

A hexagram is read from the bottom line up. In a reading, a changing line (a 6 or a 9 in the three-coin method) draws attention to its position.

  1. First line (yang, solid): the beginning. The root of the matter: early stirrings, foundations, and what has not yet shown itself.
  2. Second line (yang, solid): the inner circle. Your immediate surroundings and steady supports: how things work at close range.
  3. Third line (yin, broken): the threshold. A point of tension between inner and outer, often a test or a restless push forward.
  4. Fourth line (yang, solid): the approach. Stepping into wider circles or nearer to authority; caution and good relationships matter here.
  5. Fifth line (yin, broken): the center of power. The place of influence and clear leadership: where the situation is most fully expressed.
  6. Sixth line (yang, solid): the culmination. The far edge of the situation: completion, overreach, or letting go.

Related hexagrams