38. Opposition (睽)

Hú is pronounced hú. Shuō is pronounced tuō-huò-fǎn. Gòu is pronounced gǔ-dòu-fǎn.

'Estranged and isolated' means that Six in the Third Place is restrained by the two yang lines, while Nine at the Top itself occupies the extreme of luminosity and the peak of Opposition with firmness, being suspicious, fierce, and estranged.

'Seeing a pig bearing mud on its back' is seeing its filth. 'Carrying a wagon full of ghosts' is taking nothingness for reality. 'Drawing the bow' is wishing to shoot it. 'Unstringing the bow' is having one's doubts gradually dissolve.

'Not an outlaw, but a marital partner' is realizing that the other is not an outlaw but actually a kin. 'Going forward, encountering rain brings good fortune' means that all suspicions are completely dissolved and opposition turns to union.

Nine at the Top and Six in the Third Place are estranged at first and united in the end; hence the image and divination are such.

The Top occupies the culmination of the Gua, the extreme of Opposition. A firm yang line residing at the summit is firmness at its extreme; being at the top of Li, it is the extreme use of scrutiny and brightness.

When Opposition peaks, perversity arises and harmony is difficult; when firmness peaks, impetuosity occurs and care is absent; when scrutiny peaks, excessive inspection leads to constant suspicion.

Nine at the Top has Six in the Third Place as its proper partner; it is in truth not isolated, but because of its disposition, it isolates itself in estrangement.

Just as someone who has family and kin may harbor deep suspicions and manufacture alienation, living in loneliness even amidst their own flesh and blood.

The Top and the Third are proper partners, yet dwelling at the peak of Opposition, the Top suspects everything: seeing the Third as a pig covered in filth with mud on its back, regarding it as utterly abominable.

Having detested it intensely, he imagines crimes onto it, like seeing a wagon filled with ghosts. Ghosts originally have no form, yet he sees a whole wagonload of them, meaning he creates something out of nothing—delusion at its extreme.

The principle of things is that reaching an extreme brings reversal. To illustrate with what is near: when someone travels east to the furthest point, any movement must turn west; when climbing high to the highest peak, any movement must go down.

Once an extreme is reached, motion inevitably reverses. The estrangement of the Top has reached its peak, while what the Third abides in is correct principle; whenever straying from the Dao reaches an extreme, it must revert to correct principle.

Thus, toward the Third, the Top initially doubts, but in the end must unite. 'First drawing the bow': initially suspecting and detesting, he wishes to shoot it. Suspecting it is delusion; how could delusion last forever? Hence in the end he must return to correctness.

The Third in truth harbors no evil, so later he 'unstrings the bow' and does not shoot. Opposition peaks and reverses; thus the Third is no longer an outlaw or enemy, but a marital partner.

The phrase 'not an outlaw, but a marital partner' is identical to that in other Guas, yet its meaning is distinct. When yin and yang interact and harmonize smoothly, they form rain.

The Top initially suspects and opposes the Third; when opposition peaks, suspicion dissolves and they unite. As yin and yang unite and become increasingly harmonious, rain is produced; hence it is said, 'Going forward, encountering rain brings good fortune.'

'Going forward' means proceeding onward from this point; it means that once united and increasingly harmonized, good fortune follows.

Rain represents the harmony of yin and yang. Being able to harmonize in the end despite initial estrangement brings good fortune. The reason they can harmonize is that all doubts have completely vanished.

At the start of estrangement, there was nothing he did not suspect, hence 'a multitude of doubts'; when opposition reaches its extreme and turns to union, all of them vanish.

Dwelling at the extreme of Opposition, the way of reconciliation is not yet open, hence it is said: 'estranged and isolated'. Oneself dwells at the culmination of fire, while the Third resides in the fullness of the lake—the extreme of Opposition.

Using the peak of civilized brilliance to gaze upon an utterly filthy thing is Opposition at its height. A pig bearing mud on its back: nothing surpasses this in filth.

When extreme Opposition is about to unite and the extreme difference is about to harmonize, wondrous and strange transformations occur, and the Dao is about to become one.

Before reaching total harmony, strange and bizarre sights appear first; hence 'he sees a pig bearing mud on its back', which is utterly foul. Seeing ghosts filling a wagon is indeed astonishing! 'First drawing the bow' means preparing to attack and harm it.

'Later unstringing the bow' means the strange estrangement has opened into communication. The Fourth seized its partner, which is why it appeared as an outlaw.

As the intent of Opposition is about to find passage, 'not an outlaw, but a marital partner', going forward without missing the right time, the doubts of estrangement vanish.

What is prized in encountering rain is the harmony of yin and yang; once yin and yang harmonize, 'the multitude of doubts vanishes'.

'Nine at the Top: estranged and isolated, seeing a pig...' down to 'encountering rain brings good fortune.' The Correct Meaning states: 'Estranged and isolated': dwelling at the extreme of Opposition, the way of reconciliation is not yet open, hence 'estranged and isolated'.

'Seeing a pig bearing mud on its back': fire moves upward, the lake moves downward; 'oneself dwells at the culmination of fire, while the Third resides in the fullness of the lake—the extreme of Opposition.' Li is civilized brilliance; the lake is low and filthy.

Using the peak of brilliance to look at an utterly filthy thing is just like a pig bearing mud; nothing can be filthier, hence 'seeing a pig bearing mud on its back'.

'Carrying a wagon full of ghosts; first drawing the bow, later unstringing the bow': ghosts and apparitions filling a wagon is the height of strangeness.

When extreme opposition is about to unite and extreme difference is about to open, before order is reached, one first sees bizarre abnormalities; hence one further sees 'carrying a wagon full of ghosts'.

It does not say 'seeing' ghosts because the word 'seeing' was already used for the pig above. Seeing such a monster and fearing it comes to harm oneself, one 'first draws the bow', intending to attack.

When things reach their extreme they reverse; when Opposition peaks it opens, so one 'later unstrings the bow', attacking no more. 'Not an outlaw, but a marital partner': 'the Fourth seized its partner', so the Fourth was called an outlaw.

Once the purpose of Opposition has opened, it can no longer act as an outlaw, and one is able to form a marital alliance with Two; hence it is said, 'Not an outlaw, but a marital partner.'

'Going forward, encountering rain brings good fortune': rain is the way of yin and yang interacting and harmonizing.

When the multitude of differences dissolves and there is no longer suspicion or hindrance, going forward brings harmony, and good fortune follows; hence 'going forward, encountering rain brings good fortune.'

Commentary: 'Dwelling at the extreme of Opposition...' down to 'the multitude of doubts vanishes.'

The Correct Meaning states: 'Wondrous and strange transformations occur, and the Dao is about to become one': The Inner Chapters of Zhuangzi, 'On the Equality of Things', says: 'There is nothing that is not so, nothing that is not acceptable.

Therefore, take a tiny stalk and a huge pillar, a leper and the beauty Xi Shi, or bizarre, grotesque, and wondrous things: the Dao unifies them into one.' Guo Xiang's commentary says: 'A stalk is horizontal while a pillar is vertical; a leper is ugly while Xi Shi is fair.

That which is called equalizing—how could it mean making their forms identical or matching their measurements?

Taking the horizontal and vertical, the fair and ugly, the bizarre and grotesque: each is what it is, each affirms what it affirms; though forms are ten thousand in variety, their natures originally share unity. Hence it is said: The Dao unifies them into one.'

Zhuangzi spoke this to illuminate the leveling of things, thus bringing up bizarre, grotesque, and extremely contrary things, which the Dao unifies into one: when their natures are realized, they are the same.

Wang Fusi uses this text but changes 'unifies' (tōng) to 'is about to' (jiāng), to illuminate that things reverse when reaching an extreme, and Opposition opens when reaching its peak; this is akin to citing an ode out of context, not necessarily identical with the original meaning.

The Correct Meaning states: 'The multitude of doubts vanishes': going forward and uniting with Three is like the harmony of rain.

The previous suspicions of seeing a pig, seeing ghosts, and drawing the bow all dissolve and melt away, hence it is said: 'The multitude of doubts vanishes.'