Hexagram for Opposition

Hexagram 38, Kui, frames opposition that still leaves room for limited contact.

In the Yijing (Classic of Changes), a hexagram pairs two three-line patterns called trigrams. Fire above lake gives Kui its image of opposed movement; the judgment says small, careful steps can work when broad agreement cannot.

Why do accounts give Kui different readings?

Different manuscript names and commentaries preserve distinct readings.

The Zhou Yi, an early divination text at the core of the Yijing (Classic of Changes), is traditionally said to originate around 1000 BCE. Manuscripts from the Warring States, Qin, and Han periods preserve variant names, including Kui, Ju, and Guai. The Zuozhuan, an early Chinese historical work, contains the earliest references to Kui outside the Yijing, in records for Duke Xi 15 and 25.

The received tradition explains opposition through fire and lake moving apart. Some scholarship links the pattern to crossed eyes, suggesting a view from an unusual angle; this is a distinct interpretation, not the received name.