Hexagram 38: Opposition

Written by Orbitarot · Sources: James Legge, The Yi King (The I Ching), 1882 (judgment and lines); plain readings our own · Updated October 7, 2026

Hexagram 38 in plain words

Fire burns upward, and the lake below seeps downward. The two trigrams move away from each other, like two sisters living in the same house whose wishes run in different directions. That is the picture of opposition: not open war, but estrangement and misunderstanding. Tradition notes that even here, small matters bring good fortune.

Opposition can be useful. Differences show what each side really values, and things that are unlike can still complement each other, as heaven and earth do. The wise person keeps their own way while staying in contact with others, finding unity in the large picture and accepting variety in the details. Do not chase people who move away, do not treat every stranger as an enemy, and do not take suspicion for insight. Many of the lines show misjudgment clearing up: what looked like a threat turns out to be a friend. Keep your patience, keep communication open, and work on small agreements. Over time, mistrust tends to fade when it is not fed.

The judgment

Khwei indicates that, (notwithstanding the condition of things which it denotes), in small matters there will (still) be good success.

Translation: James Legge, 1882 (public domain).

The image

(The trigram representing) fire above, and that for (the waters of) a marsh below, form Khwei. The superior man, in accordance with this, where there is a general agreement, yet admits diversity.

From Legge's Appendix II (the Great Symbolism), The Sacred Books of the East, vol. 16, 1882 (public domain).

In plain words: Fire rises and the lake sinks, each moving its own way. You can share common ground with others and still keep your own nature: agreement does not require sameness.

The six lines

Read only the lines that changed in your reading. Lines are counted from the bottom.

Line 1 (bottom)

The first NINE, undivided, shows that (to its subject) occasion for repentance will disappear. He has lost his horses, but let him not seek for them; they will return of themselves. Should he meet with bad men, he will not err (in communicating with them).

Regret fades. If your horse runs off, do not chase it; it comes back on its own. Meet difficult people politely and you avoid blame.

Line 2

The second NINE, undivided, shows its subject happening to meet with his lord in a bye-passage. There will be no error.

You run into the person you need in a narrow lane, an informal meeting rather than a formal one. That is fine; it brings no blame.

Line 3

In the third SIX, divided, we see one whose carriage is dragged back, while the oxen in it are pushed back, and he is himself subjected to the shaving of his head and the cutting off of his nose. There is no good beginning, but there will be a good end.

Your cart is dragged back, your oxen held, and you feel humiliated. The start is bad, but the end is good if you hold on.

Line 4

The fourth NINE, undivided, shows its subject solitary amidst the (prevailing) disunion. (But) he meets with the good man (represented by the first line), and they blend their sincere desires together. The position is one of peril, but there will be no mistake.

You feel isolated by the opposition, then meet someone of good heart. You can trust each other; there is some risk, but no blame.

Line 5

The fifth SIX, divided, shows that (to its subject) occasion for repentance will disappear. With his relative (and minister he unites closely and readily) as if he were biting through a piece of skin. When he goes forward (with this help), what error can there be?

Regret fades. Your true ally breaks through the barriers between you, as easily as biting through skin. Going to meet them is no mistake.

Line 6 (top)

The topmost NINE, undivided, shows its subject solitary amidst the (prevailing) disunion. (In the subject of the third line, he seems to) see a pig bearing on its back a load of mud, (or fancies) there is a carriage full of ghosts. He first bends his bow against him, and afterwards unbends it, (for he discovers) that he is not an assailant to injure, but a near relative. Going forward, he shall meet with (genial) rain, and there will be good fortune.

Alone and suspicious, you see enemies everywhere, a filthy pig or a wagon full of demons. You raise your bow, then lower it: this is no attacker but a friend. As the rain falls, tension washes away and things go well.

Related hexagrams

All three relations have traditional Chinese names (cuo gua for the opposite, zong gua for the inverse, hu gua for the nuclear). Many modern readers use the opposite as the shadow side of a situation, the inverse as the same moment seen from the other side, and the nuclear hexagram as its inner core.

If one line changes

With a single changing line, hexagram 38 turns into:

Learn more: what the I Ching is, how to read changing lines, the eight trigrams, how to cast with coins or yarrow.

Hexagram 38 in love and relationships

In love, you and your partner may want different things or misread each other right now. Look for the shared ground, give each other room, and do not assume the worst about their intentions.

Hexagram 38 for work and decisions

At work, cooperation on big projects is hard while people disagree. Focus on small, practical agreements and keep talking; misunderstandings are likely to clear up.

Questions