Hexagram 38 · Line 6
Opposition — 上九
Kui · Shang Jiu
The Line
Made solitary through opposition, one sees one's companion as a mud-covered pig, as a wagon full of devils. First one draws the bow at them, then one puts the bow aside. He is no robber; he would woo in due time. In going, rain falls, then good fortune comes.
Interpretation
Here isolation through misunderstandings is conditioned, not by outer conditions, but by inner states. One fails to recognize one's best friends, takes them for unclean like a dirty pig and dangerous like a wagon full of devils. One places oneself in a defensive posture. But finally one recognizes one's error, puts the bow aside, and notices that the other comes with the best intention for close union. Thus the tension is resolved. Union resolves opposition, as the falling rain relieves the sultriness before the storm. All goes well, for opposition, precisely at its height, turns into its opposite.