坏的到了尽头或极点，就会转而变好。“泰”和“否”是《周易》中的两个卦名，分别表示正面和负面意义，如通与塞、顺与逆、好与坏等。古人认为，万事万物都处在循环往复的变换过程中；在一定临界点上，事物内部所包含的对立的两个方面就会发生相互转化。“否极泰来”揭示了事物发展变化的辩证法，给困境中的人带来精神支柱和希望，使人乐观奋发，把握时机，扭转局面。辩证地看，它也是忧患意识的表征。

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，所以为泰也；坤下乾上，所以为否也。泰者，通也；否者，塞也；泰者，辟也；否者，阖也。一通一塞、一阖一辟，如寒暑之相推，如昏明之相代，物理之常，虽天地圣人有不能逃也。（林栗《周易经传集解》卷六）（乾下坤上，是泰卦，意为阳气聚集阴气散开，是安泰的气象；坤上乾下，是否卦，意为阳气散失阴气聚集，是肃杀的气象。泰的意思是“通”，否的意思是“塞”；泰的意思是“开”，否的意思是“闭”。一“通”一“塞”、一“开”一“闭”，就像冬天与夏天、黑夜与白昼的相互更替一样，是事物很平常的现象，即便是天地和圣人也不可能逃离它的变化。）

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)