I Ching hexagram 38

I Ching hexagram 38: Opposition

睽 kuí · fire above a lake

Fire flares up, the lake seeps down: people pulling apart can still manage small things together.

The judgment: Opposition. In small matters, good fortune.
"Khwei indicates that, (notwithstanding the condition of things which it denotes), in small matters there will (still) be good success."
James Legge's translation, 1882
What it says to you: Fire burns upward and the lake seeps down, so the two halves of this picture move away from each other. The old commentary calls them two sisters living in one house with different hearts. Opposition is the situation: misunderstanding, distrust, people who should be together pointing in different directions. The judgment doesn't pretend otherwise, but it gives you something real: small matters still go well. You won't fix the big rift today. You can share a meal, settle a small task, meet in a side lane when the front door is shut. The top line is worth knowing. In isolation you see a muddy pig and a cartload of ghosts, you draw your bow, and then realize it is a suitor, not a raider. Check your suspicions before acting on them, and make one small friendly move.

Matter by matter

Love: Misunderstandings. Don't push for big agreement; small kindnesses and casual meetings repair more than talks.
Work: Differences with colleagues. Cooperate on small tasks; avoid big joint ventures until trust returns.
Money: Small transactions are fine; avoid large partnerships with people you don't see eye to eye with.
A yes or no question: Yes, with a condition: only if it is a small matter. A big move, no.

The six lines of Opposition

A hexagram is built from the bottom up, so the first line is the lowest. You read a line's text only when your cast made it a moving line.

Bottom line, solid

Regret vanishes. You lose your horse; don't chase it, it comes back by itself. Meeting a bad person brings no harm.

Something has wandered off, a person or a thing you care about. Don't run after it; it returns on its own. You can deal civilly with someone unpleasant without being harmed.
Second line, solid

Meeting his lord in a narrow lane. No mistake.

The formal route is blocked, so an informal meeting will do. A chance conversation in the hallway with the person who matters can fix what the official channels cannot.
Third line, broken

He sees his cart dragged back, the oxen halted, the driver branded on the forehead and his nose cut off. No good beginning, but a good end.

The start is ugly: pushback, humiliation, everything stuck at once. Endure it without retaliating. The text promises that what begins this badly can still finish well.
Fourth line, solid

Isolated by opposition, he meets a good man. They trust each other. Danger, but no mistake.

You feel alone in a conflict. Then you find one person you can trust, and who trusts you back. Lean on that bond. The situation is risky, yet you will come through it.
Fifth line, broken

Regret vanishes. His kinsman bites through the skin. Going forward, what harm could there be?

An ally of your own kind breaks through the barrier as easily as biting through soft meat. Go and join them. There is no harm in reaching out now.
Top line, solid

Isolated, he sees a muddy pig, a cart full of ghosts. He draws his bow, then lays it down: no raider, a suitor. Going on, meeting rain brings good fortune.

Suspicion has made you see monsters where there are none. Lower your guard. The one you took for an enemy wants connection. Let the tension break like rain, and things go well.

About hexagram 38

What does I Ching hexagram 38 mean?

Hexagram 38, Opposition, puts fire above a lake. Fire flares up, the lake seeps down: people pulling apart can still manage small things together. Its judgment reads: Opposition. In small matters, good fortune.

Is hexagram 38 a yes or a no?

Yes, with a condition: only if it is a small matter. A big move, no.

What does hexagram 38 mean for love?

Misunderstandings. Don't push for big agreement; small kindnesses and casual meetings repair more than talks.

What does hexagram 38 mean for work?

Differences with colleagues. Cooperate on small tasks; avoid big joint ventures until trust returns.

Cast the coins for a new question , or for a straight yes or no, throw the moon blocks

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The judgment and lines are rendered from the Chinese text; the quoted judgment is Legge's 1882 translation, and every other English line is Jade Almanac's own. A cast is a prompt for reflection, not advice about health, money or the law.