Three Meanings of Opposition — Zheng Yi Xin Fa (Part 8)
By Ma Yi · Chen Tuan · Hu Yixuan
The Zheng Yi Xin Fa, Chapter 6, says: "Hexagrams have opposition — this is most crucial." Looking at a single hexagram yields only one side; examining opposition reveals the whole.
I. Inversion (反体) — Two Sides of the Same Event
Inversion: flipping the hexagram upside-down. The direction of Qi flow reverses; the perspective of subject and object flips.
Xu ☵☰ (Waiting) ↔ Song ☰☵ (Conflict): The same banquet — the host sees preparation and waiting (Xu), the guest sees insufficient provision and contention (Song). Flipping the hexagram flips the direction of Qi flow.
There is root Qi and there is branch Qi — the order of Qi is natural.
— Chen Tuan
II. Opposition (对体) — Two States of the Same Qi
Opposition: swapping Yin and Yang in every line. Not opposing attributes, but the inhalation and exhalation of the same creative Qi.
Qian ☰ (pure Yang) ↔ Kun ☷ (pure Yin): Qian's giving and Kun's receiving exist simultaneously — not sequentially. Opposition unites into the whole of Qi.
III. The Fundamental Difference
| Inversion (Subject-Object) | Opposition (Mutual Grounding) | |
|---|---|---|
| Logic | Root Qi then branch Qi — host before guest | Mutual grounding — interdependent |
| Time | Has sequence — root before branch | No sequence — simultaneous coexistence |
| Analogy | Same feast, host and guest | Same breath, inhale and exhale |
Inversion is a relationship of time; opposition is a relationship of position. One is temporal sequence, the other is spatial coexistence. Interwoven, they reveal the completeness of an event and the wholeness of Qi.
Originally published on WeChat Official Account "谛观".
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