The I Ching or Book of Changes (109 page)
Above, fire; below, the lake:
The image of OPPOSITION.
Thus amid all fellowship
The superior man retains his individuality.
The images belonging to the trigrams, whose tendencies combat each other, create the condition of opposition, while their
attributes lead to its being overcome. The joyousness of Tui symbolizes fellowship; the clarity of Li symbolizes clearly recognizable individuality.
The reason why the two daughters tend to opposition is that the eldest, whose authority would maintain order, is absent.
THE LINES
Nine at the beginning:
a
) Remorse disappears.
If you lose your horse, do not run after it;
It will come back of its own accord.
When you see evil people,
Guard yourself against mistakes.
b
) “When you see evil people,” avoid mistakes.
As long as an opposition has not become poisoned, it can be smoothed out. A mistake arises only in letting it go too far. This line is in relationship with the fourth, which stands in the nuclear trigram K’an, meaning horse, but does not correspond with it; hence the horse gets lost. The first line is firm and can control itself, and so it does not run after the horse. The horse comes back of its own accord when the opposition has run its course. The fourth line, which belongs both to the nuclear trigram K’an, danger, and to Li, excitement, symbolizes the evil man. Through the joyousness of the trigram Tui, a sharpening of the opposition, and the mistakes that would ensue, are avoided.
Nine in the second place:
a
) One meets his lord in a narrow street.
No blame.
b
) If one meets his lord in a narrow street, one has not lost his way.
Attempting to attain something by crooked paths is to lose one’s way. But this line is firm and central, hence not set on a meeting at all costs. The meeting, although informal—that is,
not quite according to rule—is accidental, or brought about by the lord, so that there is no reason for reproaching oneself.
Six in the third place:
a
) One sees the wagon dragged back,
The oxen halted,
A man’s hair and nose cut off.
Not a good beginning, but a good end.
b
) “One sees the wagon dragged back”: this happens because the place is not the right one.
“Not a good beginning, but a good end”: this happens through meeting one that is firm.
The place is not the right one, because a weak six is in the strong third place. Moreover, the weak line is placed between the strong lines in the second and the fourth place; these dare encroach because they also are not in their proper places. The nuclear trigram K’an means a wagon; the nuclear trigram Li, in the center of which the line stands, is associated with the cow. The fact that a good end is attained is due to the relations with the strong line at the top, which resolves the misunderstandings.
Nine in the fourth place:
a
) Isolated through opposition,
One meets a like-minded man
With whom one can associate in good faith.
Despite the danger, no blame.
b
) Association in good faith, without blame: this means that the will effects its purpose.
The companion found is the strong line at the beginning, which is of the same character as the nine in the fourth place. Both have the will to overcome the misunderstandings, and thus succeed. This line is isolated because of outer circumstances; for it is placed between two dark lines representing inferior persons. Here there is no relationship of correspondence with the first line, but rather that of similarity of kind.
a
) Remorse disappears.
The companion bites his way through the wrappings.
If one goes to him,
How could it be a mistake?
b
) “The companion bites his way through the wrappings.” If one goes to him, it brings blessing.
The companion is the nine in the second place. The present line stands in the upper primary trigram Li, the nine in the second place stands in the lower nuclear trigram Li; thus they are of like kind. Change of the nine in the second place produces the hexagram of BITING THROUGH (
21
), whose second line similarly bites through the skin. This describes the leader who finds a capable assistant to help in clearing up misunderstandings. The person in the superior position must go out to meet the companion. The rule demands this. A man of ability will not take the initiative and offer himself.
Nine at the top:
a
) Isolated through opposition,
One sees one’s companion as a pig covered with dirt,
As a wagon full of devils.
First one draws a bow against him,
Then one lays the bow aside.
He is not a robber; he will woo at the right time.
As one goes, rain falls; then good fortune comes.
b
) The good fortune of the rainfall means that all doubts disappear.
The nuclear trigram is K’an, meaning pig as well as wagon, cunning, danger, also robbers. The trigram Li means a bow. But since the third line, to which all this refers, is in the relationship of correspondence to the present line, this is all illusion. It is not a hostile assault, but a well-meant approach, for the purpose of a mutual relation. As soon as this is recognized, doubts disappear and misunderstandings are cleared up.
The ruler of the hexagram is the nine in the fifth place. Therefore it is said in the Commentary on the Decision: “He goes and attains the middle.” The reference to “the great man” in the Judgment always relates to the fifth place.
The Sequence
Through opposition difficulties necessarily arise. Hence there follows the hexagram of OBSTRUCTION. Obstruction means difficulty.
Miscellaneous Notes
OBSTRUCTION means difficulty.
The idea of obstruction is expressed by danger without (K’an), in the face of which one keeps still within (Kên). This distinguishes the hexagram from YOUTHFUL FOLLY (
4
), where K’an is within and Kên is without. The obstruction is not a lasting condition, hence everything in the hexagram is centered on overcoming it. It is overcome in that the strong line moves outward to the fifth place and from there initiates a countermovement. The obstruction is overcome not by pressing forward into danger nor by idly keeping still, but by retreating, yielding. Hence the text alludes to the words of the hexagram K’un, THE RECEPTIVE (
2
). K’un is in the southwest, it is the earth, that which is level; friends are there. Kên is in
the northeast, it is the mountain, that which is steep; there it is lonely. For overcoming danger one has need of fellowship; hence retreat. The great man is seen because he stands at the top of the nuclear trigram Li, which means light and the eye. The movement indicated is expressed also in the individual lines.
THE JUDGMENT
OBSTRUCTION. The southwest furthers.
The northeast does not further.
It furthers one to see the great man.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
Commentary on the Decision
OBSTRUCTION means difficulty. The danger is ahead. To see the danger and to know how to stand still, that is wisdom.
In OBSTRUCTION “the southwest furthers,” because he goes and attains the middle.
“The northeast does not further,” because there the way comes to an end.
“It furthers one to see the great man,” because he goes and wins merits.
In the right place, “perseverance brings good fortune,” because through it the country comes into order.
The effect of a time of OBSTRUCTION is great indeed.
Danger, the trigram K’an, is in front. To see the danger (upper nuclear trigram Li, light, eye) and to stop short in time (inner trigram Kên, Keeping Still) is true wisdom, in contrast to the situation in YOUTHFUL FOLLY, where the positions of danger and standstill are reversed. In order to overcome the danger it is important to take the safe-road, the road toward the southwest, where one attains the middle, that is, sees oneself surrounded by helpers. The nine in the fifth place does
this. When the ruler of the hexagram is in the outer trigram it is said, “He goes,” and when it is in the inner trigram, “He comes.” In the northeast (north means danger, northeast means mountain) one comes to an impassable road, leading no farther. It is favorable to see the great man—the nine in the fifth place, standing at the top of the nuclear trigram Li. Through going something is achieved: in that the ruler of the hexagram “goes,” he takes part in the downward movement of the trigram K’an, water, which flows toward the earth and thus accomplishes something. Abiding in the right place brings good fortune, because one’s activity is directed not outward but inward, to one’s own country. Turning inward is achieved through obstructions, and the improvement brought about by this turning inward (“conversion”) is the great value inhering in the effect of a time of obstruction.