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Above; fire, brightness,
beauty
Below; a pool of water, joy
The flame burns
upward while the pool of water soaks downward. These
two movements are opposite to each other. Moreover,
the youngest daughter is represented in the lower
trigram while the second daughter is represented in
the upper trigram. Though they may live in the same
house their attentions are directed to different men.
Therefore their desires will run in opposite directions.
Opposites –
but in small matters, good fortune.
Fire moves upward,
water moves downward, like two women under one roof
whose wills do not accord. But if joy is joined to
beauty there is radiance. The weak yin lines ascend
responding to the strong yang lines and indicating
good fortune in minor matters. Although heaven and
earth may be separate and apart, they work to the
same end. Men and women are opposite but they desire
union. All things are individual, but each accomplishes
its purpose in accordance with its kind.
Fire above and
the pool below is the image of Kuei. The Superior
Man remains himself, even in a crowd.
Line 1
There are no regrets.
He loses his horse but should not run after it.
It will return of itself.
Meeting with evil men
He avoids condemnation.
When a man begins
to encounter opposition, he should not attempt to
bring about reconciliation by force. He will only
provoke greater opposition. Just as the horse that
is pursued will continue to run ever further away,
so will the opposition continue. With evil men one
should be particularly cautious. It is impossible
to dismiss them forcibly, or ignore them. One should
endure their company until they leave of their own
accord.
Line 2
He meets his lord
in a narrow street.
No blame.
This is an accidental
encounter, possibly between people who have not been
on speaking terms for some time. But the street is
narrow and there is no way they can avoid one another.
Friendly relations are re-established.
Line 3
He sees his wagon
halted
The oxen reined back.
His hair and his nose are cut off.
An ominous beginning
But an auspicious end.
Everything is going
wrong. There are obstacles at every turn. One is hindered
and dragged back, insulted and dishonoured in the
most terrible way. Kuei is different by only the second
line from hexagram 21 (‘Biting Through’).
The texts of the third and fifth lines are reminiscent
of the texts of hexagram 21 and clearly have a related
significance.
Line 4
Solitary and estranged
One meets a like minded person
With whom to live in confidence.
There is danger, but no mistake.
Holding oneself
aloof from the crowd because one cannot agree with
their standards and beliefs, one becomes lonely. One
is then particularly vulnerable and an encounter with
someone who seems to share one’s isolation can
assume an exaggerated significance. However, if one
is aware of the dangers inherent in the situation
it can be turned to the best advantage and there will
be no regrets.
Line 5
Regrets vanish.
He cleaves to his companion
As if he bit through the thin skin
Going forward,
What error can there be in this?
At first, one does
not recognize the true friend; then it is as if a
veil had been torn away. One should go forward to
meet such a friend. All obstacles will be removed.
Line 6
Wandering solitary
and estranged
He sees a pig caked with mud
A wagonload of devils
First he draws his bow against them
Then lays it aside;
For this is no assailant
But a close relative.
He goes forward in soft rain
Good fortune comes.
Here one has kept
oneself aloof so long that one cannot recognize one’s
true friends. They appear as treacherous and unclean
as a pig in his sty or as a wagon full of devils.
One’s first reaction is to defend oneself. Only
in due course does one realize that the apparent enemy
is in reality a friend. As the soft rain of summer
cleanses the dirt and dust from everything, so ones
doubts are swept away and one advances toward a successful
outcome. This text is often quoted as an example of
the obscurity of the I Ching.
© 1979 Neil
Powell
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