Where Inversion Equals Opposition — Zheng Yi Xin Fa (Part 10)

By Ma Yi · Chen Tuan · Hu Yixuan

Four pairs where inversion equals opposition. When subject-object flips, Yin-Yang also fully reverses. Time and position become one — the most intense form of opposition.

I. Tai ☰☷ ↔ Pi ☷☰ — Communion vs. Separation

Tai: heaven below, earth above — Qi descends, Qi rises, the two interact. Pi: earth below, heaven above — the two are cut off. Communion or separation — no middle ground.

II. Sui ☳☱ ↔ Gu ☴☶ — Following vs. Decay

Sui: thunder in the lake — movement brings joy. Gu: wind beneath the mountain — entry meets stopping. The same act of following, at first is Sui (following), after long becomes Gu (decay). Sui and Gu follow each other like day and night.

III. Jian ☶☴ ↔ Gui Mei ☱☳ — Gradual vs. Hasty

Jian is the proper way — gradual and orderly. Gui Mei is expediency — urgent and hasty. Not all things can proceed gradually; sometimes haste is necessary. The proper and the expedient depend on each other.

IV. Ji Ji ☲☵ ↔ Wei Ji ☵☲ — Accomplished vs. Unaccomplished

Ji Ji (Already Accomplished) is not the end — initial order, final chaos. Wei Ji (Not Yet Accomplished) is not hopeless — unaccomplished, yet openings remain. The Yi ends not with completion but with incompletion — for the Yi is change itself. Completion halts change; incompletion keeps it moving.

The Yi's ending with Wei Ji precisely illuminates the non-ending of the Yi Dao — ending then beginning anew.

Originally published on WeChat Official Account "谛观".