睽 · 乖
Judgement
小事吉。
Small affairs: good fortune.
The Image
上火下泽，睽；君子以同而异。
Above fire, below the lake: opposition. So the superior man seeks common ground while keeping his difference.
The Lines
悔亡；丧马勿逐，自复；见恶人，无咎。
Regret passes. The lost horse needs no chasing; it returns of itself. Seeing the evil man, no blame.
“见恶人”，以辟咎也。
Seeing the evil man: it avoids blame.
遇主于巷，无咎。
Meeting his lord in a lane. No blame.
“遇主于巷”，未失道也。
Meeting his lord in a lane: he has not lost the way.
见舆曳，其牛掣；其人天且劓。无初有终。
The cart is dragged, the ox held back; the man himself is branded and maimed. No beginning, but an end.
“见舆曳”，位不当也。“无初有终”，遇刚也。
The cart is dragged: the place is not right. No beginning, but an end: he meets the hard line.
睽孤，遇元夫，交孚，厉无咎。
Alone in opposition; he meets the first man; exchanged sincerity, danger yet no blame.
“交孚”“无咎”，志行也。
Exchanged sincerity, no blame: his will walks.
悔亡，厥宗噬肤，往何咎？
Regret passes. His clan eats the tender flesh; going — what blame?
“厥宗噬肤”，往有庆也。
His clan eats the tender flesh: going has cause for celebration.
睽孤，见豕负涂，载鬼一车，先张之弧，后说之弧；匪寇婚媾，往遇雨则吉。
Alone in opposition; he sees a pig covered in mud, a cartload of ghosts. First he bends the bow, then he lowers it. Not a robber — he comes to woo. Going on, meeting rain is auspicious.
“遇雨”之“吉”，群疑亡也。
The auspiciousness of meeting rain: all doubts are gone.
Reading
火向上，泽往下——两物背向而行。乖是各行其是的状态，经文不许诺重合。它给的是小的：一次诚实的照面，像陌生人共用一条路。