Fire flames upward and the lake seeps downward; they move apart. Kui is estrangement, misunderstanding and difference, when people see things in opposite ways. Large joint undertakings are not possible, but small steps toward understanding are. Opposition can also be creative: differences, held together, produce something neither side has alone.
Judgment
睽：小事吉。
Divergence: in small matters, good fortune.
Image
上火下澤，睽；君子以同而異。
Fire on top, lake underneath: divergence. Taking this as a model, the noble one joins with others and still remains distinct.
- Estrangement and misunderstanding
- Differences that can complement
- Small steps toward reconciliation
- Keeping your individuality
- Seeing beyond suspicion
- opposition
- difference
- misunderstanding
- reconciliation
- individuality
- perspective
- In times of division, aim for small agreements.
- Difference does not have to mean hostility.
- Suspicion distorts perception; look again.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Nine at the beginning 初九
Line text
悔亡，喪馬勿逐，自復；見惡人，无咎。
Regret passes. A lost horse: do not chase it; it returns on its own. Meeting with hostile people: no blame.
Don't force reconciliation; what belongs to you will return of its own accord. Meet unpleasant people politely rather than avoiding or confronting them.
- Letting things return naturally
- Civility toward difficult people
- Chasing what has withdrawn
- Natural reconciliation
Line 2Nine in the second place 九二
Line text
遇主于巷，无咎。
Meeting one's lord in a narrow lane: no blame.
When formal channels are blocked, an informal encounter can bring people together. There's nothing wrong with meeting in an unconventional way.
- Informal reconciliation
- Unexpected meeting
- Insisting on formal routes
- A chance meeting that heals a rift
Line 3Six in the third place 六三
Line text
見輿曳，其牛掣，其人天且劓，无初有終。
One sees the cart dragged back, its oxen pulled up short, its driver branded and his nose cut off. No good beginning, but a good end.
Everything seems to go against you, and you are hindered and humiliated. Hold on to the right connection; though the start is bad, it ends well.
- Setbacks and humiliation
- Good end despite bad start
- Giving up after a bad start
- Things coming right in the end
Line 4Nine in the fourth place 九四
Line text
睽孤，遇元夫，交孚，厲无咎。
Divergent and alone, one meets a true companion. Trust is exchanged. Danger, but no blame.
Feeling alone among people who don't understand you, you find a kindred spirit. Trust between you overcomes isolation and danger.
- Finding a kindred spirit
- Trust overcoming isolation
- Withdrawing completely
- A deep bond formed in difficulty
Line 5Six in the fifth place 六五
Line text
悔亡，厥宗噬膚，往何咎。
Regret passes. The kinsman bites through the skin. Going on: what fault could there be?
Someone genuinely related to you breaks through the layers of misunderstanding. Go to meet them; there is no fault in it.
- Breaking through misunderstanding
- Responding to an approach
- Failing to respond to sincere outreach
- Renewed closeness
Line 6Nine at the top 上九
Line text
睽孤，見豕負塗，載鬼一車，先張之弧，後說之弧，匪寇婚媾，往遇雨則吉。
Divergent and alone, one sees a pig caked in mud, a cartload of ghosts. First the bow is drawn, then the bow is set down. Not raiders, but suitors. Going on, one meets rain: then, good fortune.
Suspicion has made you see enemies everywhere, even in those who come with good intentions. When you recognize the misperception and put down your defenses, tension releases like rain.
- Distorted perception
- Release of suspicion
- Seeing hostility where there is none
- Relief when mistrust dissolves
Related hexagrams
Have a question on your mind?
Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
Kui shows the middle daughter (fire) and the youngest daughter (lake) living together but going separate ways. The reading may suggest a situation of tension, misunderstanding or estrangement, in a relationship, team or within yourself. The judgment is modest but hopeful: small things can still go well.
The image offers a mature attitude: remain yourself even within community, and recognize that unity does not require sameness. The lines are full of distorted perceptions, people seen as enemies, strange visions, which clear up once trust is restored. In relation to a question, Kui may emphasize patience with differences, checking your assumptions and seeking common ground in small matters first.