Listen to this articlejī 几
Ji / Omen
事物产生或变化的征兆。古人认为，新事物产生或旧事物发生变化，以及人心善恶的分化之前，都会出现微小的征兆，也即是“几”。“几”或显现于外，或隐藏于旧事物的内部。人应培养发现、把握几兆的能力。只有善于发现事物出现或变化的几兆，并适时加以利用，才能够预见、把握事物发展变化的方向，以实现趋利避害。
Ji (几) refers to an omen indicating the emerging or changing of things. Ancient Chinese believed that a subtle omen would appear before something new emerged or when something old was about to change, or before the differentiation of good and evil in human nature occurred. An omen is either visible or hidden inside something old. One should develop the ability to identify and use an omen. When one is adept at identifying an omen that something is emerging or changing and makes use of it at the appropriate moment, one can foresee and grasp the way things emerge and change, thus pursuing the desired course and avoiding harm.
引例 Citations：
◎几者，动之微，吉凶之先见者也。君子见几而作，不俟终日。（《周易·系辞下》）
（“几”是事物变化的微小征兆，预示着吉凶的结果。君子发现几兆就适时行动，不再长时间等待。）
Ji means a subtle omen of change predicting good or evil. A man of virtue acts at the right moment without hesitation when he sees an omen. (The Book of Changes)
◎几者，动之微，善恶之所由分也。（周敦颐《通书·诚几德》）
（“几”是事物变化的微小征兆，人心的善恶也由此分化。）
Ji means a subtle omen of change in things, and it indicates the differentiation of good and evil in human nature. (Zhou Dunyi: The Gist of Confucian Thought)
