Line 1 Yang
The lost horse returns without pursuit. A measured encounter with someone disliked may prevent further trouble.
← The 64 hexagrams
HEXAGRAM 38 · Kuí
Opposition
Different directions can still permit cooperation; begin with small, clear matters.
☲ Above: Li · Fire☱ Below: Dui · Lake
Meaning
Fire rises while lake water moves downward. Recognize differences while seeking contact; excessive suspicion can turn a possible ally into an imagined enemy.
FOR REFLECTION
Am I responding to known facts or to my assumptions about another person?
The six lines
Read from line 1 at the bottom to line 6 at the top. These are paraphrases, not verbatim translations.
Line 2 Yang
Meeting the lord in a narrow lane is blameless. An informal conversation may reconnect people when formal routes are blocked.
Line 3 Yin
A cart is dragged back, its ox restrained, its driver humiliated. An obstructed beginning need not determine the ending.
Line 4 Yang
Isolated amid opposition, one meets a trustworthy person. Mutual sincerity can carry the relationship through danger.
Line 5 Yin
A close relation bites through a skin-like barrier. Once the obstacle gives way, approaching need not cause blame.
Line 6 Yang
A muddy pig and a cart of ghosts prompt a drawn bow, then recognition of a marriage party. Reconsider suspicion.
References
Classical Zhouyi · 睽James Legge, The Yî King (1882), Sacred Books of the East XVI, hexagram 38
Editorial policy & bibliography →For reference and reflection. This commentary makes no certain claim about the future.