11 · Hexagram 11

Tai · Earth over Heaven

天地交、萬物通、春至之卦

上卦upper trigram · / Earth下卦lower trigram · / Heaven

Image

先看圖像,再讀文字。Read the image before the words.

大象傳《大象傳》從上下卦的自然圖像推演全卦之象,再提出人事取法。The Great Image derives conduct from the two trigrams' natural images.Great Image

  1. 全卦成象Whole image

    天地交,泰

    (The trigrams for) heaven and earth in communication together form Tai.

  2. 人事取法Conduct

    后以財成天地之道,輔相天地之宜,以左右民。

    The (sage) sovereign, in harmony with this, fashions and completes his regulations after the courses of heaven and earth, and assists the application of the adaptations of them, thereby left and right helping the people.

天地相交叫做泰——人主仿效,制定(裁成)順應天地之道的制度,輔助天地的合宜安排,用以幫助人民。

(The trigrams for) heaven and earth in communication together form Tai. The (sage) sovereign, in harmony with this, fashions and completes his regulations after the courses of heaven and earth, and assists the application of the adaptations of them, thereby left and right helping the people.

Words

先讀經文,再讀《彖傳》如何解釋卦辭。The received text, then the Tuan commentary on it.

卦辭對整個卦(六條線為一組)的總體判斷。The judgment on the hexagram as a whole.
Judgment

泰:小往大來,吉,亨。

泰——小的(陰)往外退、大的(陽)來到內部;吉,通達。 陰陽相交、上下溝通、君子之道在內成長,是 12 消息卦中春至的位置。

In Tai (we see) the little gone and the great come. (It indicates that) there will be good fortune, with progress and success.

彖傳十翼之一,直接解釋卦名、卦辭及其剛柔結構。Tuan Zhuan — explains the name, the Judgment and the line structure.
Commentary on the Judgment

「泰,小往大來,吉亨」,則是天地交而萬物通也,上下交而其志同也。內陽而外陰,內健而外順,內君子而外小人,君子道長,小人道消也。

「泰:小往大來,吉亨」——這是天地相交而萬物通達;上下相交而志向相同。內卦是陽、外卦是陰;內是剛健、外是柔順;內是君子、外是小人。君子之道在生長、小人之道在消退。

'In Tai (we see) the little gone and the great come, with the result of good fortune and progress and success.' This means that the influences of heaven and earth communicate with each other, and all things are in consequence in a state of harmony. The high and the low come together, and their desires for action are the same. The inner trigram is made up of the strong and undivided lines, and the outer of the weak and divided; the inner is the symbol of strength, the outer of docility; the inner represents the superior man, the outer the small man. Thus the way of the superior man appears increasing, and that of the small man decreasing.

Lines

六條線各有一句判斷。閱讀次序初→上;卦象由下而上,看左側的卦。One statement per line, read from the first line to the top. The figure is drawn bottom-up — watch the rail.

初九
同類齊進alike advance
1 爻 · line 1 · yang

拔茅茹,以其彙征,吉。

拔起茅草、根上連著一片——同類的事物一起前進,吉。在通泰之初,動就帶起一群。

The first NINE, undivided, suggests the idea of grass pulled up, and bringing with it other stalks with whose roots it is connected. Advance (on the part of its subject) will be fortunate.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

拔茅征吉,志在外也。

拔茅前進吉——心志已在外(向外發展)。

'The advance indicated by the pulled-up grass, will be fortunate':—the will (of the subject of the line) is set on what is external to himself.

九二
包容廣大embracing
2 爻 · line 2 · yang

包荒,用馮河,不遐遺,朋亡,得尚于中行。

包容粗野、敢於徒步涉河、不遠的不被遺忘、不結朋黨——能匹配中正之道。

The second NINE, undivided, shows one who can bear with the uncultivated, will cross the He without a boat, does not forget the distant, and has no (selfish) friendships. Thus does he prove himself acting in accordance with the course of the due Mean.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

包荒,得尚于中行,以光大也。

包容粗野,能匹配中正之道——是因為光明廣大。

'He bears with the uncultivated, and proves himself acting in accordance with the due Mean:'—for (his intelligence is) bright and (his capacity is) great.

九三
盛中見衰peak signals turn
3 爻 · line 3 · yang

无平不陂,无往不復,艱貞无咎。勿恤其孚,于食有福。

沒有永遠的平、必有歪斜;沒有只去不返。在艱難中守正,無咎。不必憂慮信任的事,飲食上有福。 泰中的轉折提示——盛極之中要看見衰的種子。

The third NINE, undivided, shows that, while there is no state of peace that is not liable to be disturbed, and no departure (of evil men) so that they shall not return, yet when one is firm and correct, as he realises the distresses that may arise, he will commit no error. There is no occasion for sadness at the certainty (of such recurring changes); and in this mood the happiness (of the present) may be (long) enjoyed.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

无往不復,天地際也。

沒有不返的——這是天地交際的法則。

'There is no going away so that there shall not be a return' refers to this as the point where the interaction of heaven and earth takes place.

六四
輕降合作fluttering down
4 爻 · line 4 · yin

翩翩,不富以其鄰,不戒以孚。

輕翩飛揚的樣子;雖不富有,但能和鄰共——不需要警告,因為彼此信任。

The fourth SIX, divided, shows its subject fluttering (down)—not relying on his own rich resources, but calling in his neighbours. (They all come) not as having received warning, but in the sincerity (of their hearts).

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

翩翩不富,皆失實也;不戒以孚,中心願也。

翩翩不富——都已失去實質;不需警告就能信任——是中心的真願。

'He comes fluttering (down), not relying on his own rich resources:'—both he and his neighbours are out of their real (place where they should rest). 'They have not received warning, but (come) in the sincerity (of their hearts):'—this is what they have desired in the core of their hearts.

六五
歸妹
下嫁聯合yielding alliance
5 爻 · line 5 · yin

帝乙歸妹,以祉元吉。

帝乙嫁妹(古代帝王將妹妹嫁給臣下作為聯姻)——帶來福祉,大吉。 柔順居君位、能下嫁、能聯合,泰之大吉。

The fifth SIX, divided, reminds us of (king) Di Yi's (rule about the) marriage of his younger sister. By such a course there is happiness and there will be great good fortune.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

以祉元吉,中以行願也。

帶來福祉大吉——中正而能行其願。

'By such a course there is happiness, and there will be great good fortune:'—(the subject of the line) carries his wishes into effect by the course of the Mean.

上六
復隍
盛極轉衰peak collapses
6 爻 · line 6 · yin

城復于隍,勿用師。自邑告命,貞吝。

城牆倒回護城河(盛轉衰)——不要用兵,從本邑發布命令。守正卻有遺憾。 泰之終即將轉為否。

The topmost SIX, divided, shows us the city wall returned into the moat. It is not the time to use the army. (The subject of the line) may, indeed, announce his orders to the people of his own city; but however correct and firm he may be, he will have cause for regret.

小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.

城復于隍,其命亂也。

城牆倒回護城河——是命令已亂的徵兆。

'The city wall returns into the moat:'—the (governmental) orders have long been in disorder.

Use

把象套到你的情境,取一個可行的下一步。Apply the image to your situation; take one practical step.

天地交合的春分——能量在流動、上下相通,但同時也是物候轉換的開始。

The spring equinox when heaven and earth interpenetrate — energy flowing, up and down communicating, and the seasonal turn already beginning.

把象套到你的情境 · Apply the image to your situation
  1. 初九同事一起升起rising with peers
  2. 九二包容粗糙的人tolerating roughness
  3. 九三盛中已埋衰種peak hides decline
  4. 六四謙下與基層合作humbly aligning with base
  5. 六五歸妹聯姻式合作alliance through yielding
  6. 上六復隍盛勢轉壞peace turns instability

泰與否互為錯綜——這是 64 卦中罕見的雙重鏡像。提醒你:太平和阻塞不是兩件事,是同一個結構的兩個階段。Tai and Pi are each other's opposite AND inverse — a rare double-mirror among the 64. The teaching: peace and stagnation are not two things; they are two phases of one structure.

可行的一步 · Practical move

得到泰卦的時候大致是順遂之時,但泰的功課在警覺。「無平不陂,無往不復」是九三的中心語:盛和衰是同一個過程的兩段,只期待盛而不預備衰,等於只讀了半卦。順境裡該做的事其實不少。器量先放大,像「包荒」那樣連粗糙荒遠的人事也容得下;上下要通,翩翩而下,跟基層連在一起;然後把持久的結構立起來,如帝乙歸妹,用結盟把關係定住。至於轉折來臨的那一刻,不戀,也不硬抗——讓該退的退,泰的智慧才算用全。

Drawing Tai usually marks a fortunate moment — but Tai's teaching isn't celebration, it's vigilance. 'No level land without slope, no going without return' is the line-3 axis: rise and fall are two phases of one process; don't expect peace without preparing for its turn. In Tai do: (1) widen what you can embrace; (2) connect across levels; (3) build durable alliances; (4) when the turn arrives, neither cling to peace nor resist its passing.

失手之處 · Failure mode

把泰讀成「現在一切都好,可以鬆懈了」——錯。泰的上六「城復于隍」明確警告:盛中已經埋了衰的種子。最常見的失誤是在泰的高峰做過度擴張、不預備退路,等進入否才發現來不及。

Misreading Tai as 'all is well, I can relax' is wrong. Line 6 — 'city wall returns to the moat' — explicitly warns that decline's seed is already in the peak. The common failure is over-expansion at Tai's height with no exit prepared; by the time Pi arrives it's too late.

義理Commentary4
魏晉 · 3rd c.王弼《周易注》Wang Bi, Commentary on the Zhou YiScholarly

泰者,物大通之時也。陰陽交而萬物通,上下志同而事順。然「无平不陂、无往不復」者,戒人於泰之中見否之兆,盛中已有衰之機。明者居泰而能憂否,故能久其泰。

Tai is the time when things penetrate freely. Yin and yang interpenetrate and the myriad things communicate; superior and inferior share the same will, so affairs proceed smoothly. Yet 'no level without slope, no going without return' warns against complacency in Tai — within the peak the seed of decline is already present. The clear-sighted, dwelling in Tai, are concerned about Pi; this is how their Tai is sustained.

北宋 · 11th c.程頤《伊川易傳》Cheng Yi, Yichuan's Commentary on the YiScholarly

天地交、二氣通而萬物育,泰之時也。內君子而外小人,君子之道長、小人之道消。為政者體此象,必先正君子之路、謹小人之防。然「无往不復」者,盛衰相因之常理;君子於泰中當思憂患,勿恃既盛而忘所警。

Heaven and earth interpenetrate, the two qi communicate, and the myriad things flourish — this is the time of Tai. The gentleman is inside, the petty man outside; the gentleman's way expands, the petty man's way recedes. Those who govern, embodying this image, must first set the gentleman's path right and guard against the petty man. Yet 'no going without return' is the constant law of waxing and waning — the gentleman, dwelling in Tai, must hold worry in mind, not relying on the present peak as if vigilance were no longer needed.

南宋 · 12th c.朱熹《周易本義》Zhu Xi, The Original Meaning of the Zhou YiScholarly

泰,通也。為卦天地交而二氣通,故為泰。正月之卦也。三陽在內,三陰在外,內健而外順,內君子而外小人,君子之道大,小人之道消,所以為泰。

Tai means 'penetrating.' As a hexagram, heaven and earth interpenetrate and the two qi communicate — therefore Tai. It is the hexagram of the first lunar month (early spring). Three yang lines are inside, three yin outside; inside is vigorous (Heaven), outside is yielding (Earth); inside is the gentleman, outside the petty man. The way of the gentleman expands and the way of the petty man recedes — that's why it's called Tai.

現代 Contemporary現代傳承(繼承倪海廈《天紀》象-first 讀法之精神,非逐字轉錄)Modern lineage (inheriting the spirit of "Tian Ji", not transcribing)Introductory

泰是消息卦裡春分的位置:三陽從下面湧上來,三陰退到外面,能量交換最活躍的時候。卦象上坤下乾,看著像放反了,關鍵恰恰在這裡——地氣要下沉,天氣要上升,倒過來放,兩股力量纔會在中間相遇。對照第 12 否卦:天在上,地在下,各安其位,誰也碰不到誰,事就僵住。通與塞,全看交不交。 泰不許諾太平長駐。九三就把話說明白,「無平不陂,無往不復」,平地裡已經埋著坡;到上六「城復于隍」,城牆塌回壕溝,好時期收場。所以見泰先高興,高興完問一句:眼下還沒衰、往後會衰的是什麼?盛時做盛時該做的事,等到該轉的時候,讓它轉。

Tai is the spring-equinox station of the sovereign-hexagram cycle: three yang rising from below, three yin withdrawing outward, exchange at its liveliest. The image looks upside down — Earth above, Heaven below — and that is exactly the point. Earth's qi sinks, Heaven's rises; inverted like this, the two meet in the middle. Compare Pi (12): Heaven up, Earth down, everything in its 'proper' place, and nothing touches. Flow or blockage turns entirely on whether the forces meet. Tai promises no permanence. Line 3 says it outright — 'no plain without a slope' — and by the top line the wall has fallen back into the moat. So enjoy Tai, then ask: what hasn't decayed yet, but will? Do what the good season calls for, and when the turn comes, let it turn.

注解Annotation6
tài

Peace, prosperity, interpenetration. Image: yang below pushing up, yin above descending — they meet in the middle.

小往大來xiǎo wǎng dà lái

The little (yin) departs outward; the great (yang) arrives inward. Cyclical signal: spring.

包荒bāo huāng

To embrace the wild / coarse / unrefined. The leader's capacity to take in what hasn't been polished.

bēi / pō

Slope, embankment; here implying 'no flat land without slope' — every peak has its descent.

歸妹guī mèi

Marriage of the younger sister (downward marriage / political alliance). The cooperation behind 泰.

城復于隍chéng fù yú huáng

The city wall collapses back into the moat. Image of peace reverting to instability — the end-of-泰 warning.

歷史Context4
12 消息卦的位置
Position in the 12-cycle

12 消息卦是把 12 個卦對應 12 個月:復(11月)→臨(12)→泰(1月)→大壯(2)→夬(3)→乾(4)→姤(5)→遯(6)→否(7)→觀(8)→剝(9)→坤(10)。泰是春節至春分的時間,三陽全部顯現而陰還在外圍。讀泰時把它放在整個循環裡看,意義就完整了。

The twelve waxing-and-waning hexagrams map to the 12 months: Return (11th lunar month) → Approach (12) → Tai / Peace (1) → Great Power (2) → Breakthrough (3) → Qian / Heaven (4) → Coming to Meet (5) → Retreat (6) → Pi / Standstill (7) → Contemplation (8) → Splitting Apart (9) → Kun / Earth (10). Tai corresponds to the Lunar New Year through spring equinox — three yang lines fully emerged while yin still hovers outside. Read Tai inside the cycle to see its full meaning.

泰否成對
Tai and Pi as a pair

11 泰的錯卦和綜卦都是 12 否(每爻翻轉 = 上下顛倒),這在 64 卦中罕見。意思是:泰和否是同一個結構的兩面。把泰翻過來、或把每條線反過來,你都得到否。這強調了:太平和阻塞是同一件事的兩個階段,不是兩件事。

Tai's opposite hexagram (every line flipped) and inverse hexagram (read upside-down) are both Pi (12). This double-coincidence is rare among the 64. It signals: Tai and Pi are two faces of one structure. Flip Tai over, or flip every line — both yield Pi. The teaching: peace and stagnation are not two separate things, they are two phases of the same thing.

「无平不陂」的歷代回響
The reverberations of 'no level land without a slope'

九三爻辭「无平不陂、无往不復」是易經中最常被引用的句子之一。後世詩文 / 政論 / 個人修養文獻大量引用它表達「盛衰必相因」的哲學。蘇軾詩「人生到處知何似」、《菜根譚》「物極必反」、近代學者講「歷史週期律」都在這個智慧的影響之內。讀泰必把這一句讀透—它不只是一卦的一條爻,是整個易學的樞紐之一。

Line 3's 'no level without slope, no going without return' is among the most-quoted lines in the Yijing. Later poetry, political discourse, and self-cultivation literature draw on it abundantly to express 'rise and fall are mutually causal.' Su Shi's poetry, the Caigentan (Vegetable Roots Discourse) on how 'extremes reverse,' modern scholars' 'historical cycle theory' — all stand within this teaching's influence. Reading Tai requires reading this line through; it's not merely one line of one hexagram, but a hub of the whole Yi learning.

卦氣理論中的位置
Position in the guaqi calendar theory

西漢京房的卦氣理論把 60 卦分配到一年 360 天中(4 個「方伯卦」乾 / 坤 / 坎 / 離不在這 60 中)。泰在此系統中對應立春之後一段時期,是春氣完全升起的卦。和 12 消息卦的一月配對一致。卦氣理論是漢易的重要體系,影響了後世占卜 / 風水 / 醫學等多個領域。

Western Han scholar Jing Fang's guaqi (hexagram-and-qi) theory distributes 60 hexagrams across 360 days of the year (with Heaven / Earth / Water / Fire as four 'directional' hexagrams not in the 60). Tai corresponds in this system to a period after the Beginning of Spring solar term — the moment when spring's qi has fully risen. This matches its waxing-and-waning-cycle January assignment. Guaqi theory was foundational to Han-era Yi learning and shaped later divination, fengshui, and medicine.

練習Practice3
  1. line-read

    你目前事業 / 關係中最像「泰」的是哪一段?已經到上六的「城復于隍」了沒?

    Which part of your career / relationship currently feels most like Tai? Has it reached line 6's 'city wall returns to the moat' yet?

  2. char-recall

    辨認下列字義:泰、彙、包、陂、隍。

    Identify the meaning of each character: 泰 (tài), 彙 (huì), 包 (bāo), 陂 (bēi), 隍 (huáng).

  3. parse

    為什麼《彖傳》說「內陽外陰」是好?對比 12 否的「內陰外陽」,差別在哪?

    Why does the Tuan Zhuan say 'yang inside, yin outside' is good? Compare with hexagram 12 (Pi)'s 'yin inside, yang outside' — where's the operative difference?