Three kinds of relationship between the Relative and Ultimate in terms of the Traces and Origin are delineated by Chih-i in order to convey their inconceivable reality as one entity.

1. The Ultimate underlies the implementation of the Relative (Yüeh-shih Shih-ch’üan). Chih-i explains that the Buddha’s real intention in his teaching is for beings to recognize the Origin as the Ultimate Truth. However, the Ultimate is difficult to be measured by beings, for they have mistaken the Relative (i.e., Traces) as the Ultimate, and are unable to recognize the Relative or the Ultimate.
2. The Relative has to be abandoned in order to reveal the Ultimate (Feich’üan Hsien-shih). Chih-i asserts that this meaning indicates that the Buddha’s real intention is for beings to recognize the Relative in order to prevent them from being attached to it.
3. Opening the Relative and revealing the Ultimate (K’ai-ch’üan Hsien-shih). This is to prevent beings from being attached to the Ultimate and neglecting the importance of the Relative, since the Relative is an inseparable reality from the Ultimate (in the sense that the former reveals the latter). The relationship of these two is that the Relative contains the Ultimate as the latter underlies the former, and the Ultimate contains the Relative as the latter is derived from the former. These two are identical to each other, given that one cannot depart from the Relative to seek the Ultimate.