文質彬彬·每日好詞語 ? 否極泰來

整理：秦珍子 制圖：董怡璇

　　壞的到了盡頭或極點，就會轉而變好。“泰”和“否”是《周易》中的兩個卦名，分別表示正面和負面意義，如通與塞、順與逆、好與壞等。古人認為，萬事萬物都處在循環往復的變換過程中；在一定臨界點上，事物內部所包含的對立的兩個方面就會發生相互轉化。“否極泰來”揭示了事物發展變化的辯證法，給困境中的人帶來精神支柱和希望，使人樂觀奮發，把握時機，扭轉局面。辯證地看，它也是憂患意識的表征。

　　When Worse Comes to the Worst,Things Will Turn for the Better

　　When worse comes to the worst, things and events at their extremes will reverse and turn for the better. Tai and pi, two of the hexagram names in The Book of Changes, represent the positive and negative aspects of things, with one unimpeded and the other blocked, one faced with favorable conditions and the other with adversity, and one good and the other bad. In the view of ancient Chinese, all things cycle around and forever change. When they reach a certain critical point, they will transform into the opposite of their extreme characteristics. The term reveals the dialectical movements of development and change. It gives moral support and hope to people experiencing difficulties, and encourages people to be optimistic, seize the opportunity, work hard, and turn things around. From a dialectical perspective, it represents a sense of preparing for the worst.

　　引例

　　乾下坤上，所以為泰也；坤下乾上，所以為否也。泰者，通也；否者，塞也；泰者，辟也；否者，闔也。一通一塞、一闔一辟，如寒暑之相推，如昏明之相代，物理之常，雖天地圣人有不能逃也。（林栗《周易經傳集解》卷六）（乾下坤上，是泰卦，意為陽氣聚集陰氣散開，是安泰的氣象；坤上乾下，是否卦，意為陽氣散失陰氣聚集，是肅殺的氣象。泰的意思是“通”，否的意思是“塞”；泰的意思是“開”，否的意思是“閉”。一“通”一“塞”、一“開”一“閉”，就像冬天與夏天、黑夜與白晝的相互更替一樣，是事物很平常的現象，即便是天地和圣人也不可能逃離它的變化。）

　　The picture of heaven down and earth above is tai hexagram while that of the other way round is pi hexagram. Tai means things are smooth and unimpeded, while pi means things are blocked. Likewise, tai means "open" while pi means "closed." With one unimpeded and the other blocked, one open and the other closed, the two form a circle. It is a common phenomenon to replace each other regularly, like winter and summer, and day and night, moving on in cycles. Even heaven and earth, as well as sages, cannot escape from changing. (Lin Li: Notes and Commentaries on The Book of Changes)

來源：中國青年報