姤Encounter
gòuAlso known as “Coming to Meet” (Wilhelm/Baynes) and “Kâu” (Legge)
In plain words
Wind under heaven: one yin line arriving beneath five yang. An encounter — the woman is strong; do not marry her. Something small and tempting enters; watch it from the start.
The attitude it asks for
Meet what comes with awareness; enjoy the encounter, but don't let a small influence take over.
Structure
卦辭 The Judgment
姤：女壯，勿用取女。Kâu shows a female who is bold and strong. It will not be good to marry (such) a female.
姤，遇也，柔遇剛也。勿用取女，不可與長也。天地相遇，品物咸章也。剛遇中正，天下大行也。姤之時義大矣哉！Kâu has the significance of unexpectedly coming on. (We see in it) the weak (line) coming unexpectedly on the strong ones. 'It will not be good to marry (such) a female:'—one (so symbolised) should not be long associated with. Heaven and earth meeting together (as here represented), all the variety of natural things become fully displayed. When a strong (line) finds itself in the central and correct position, (good government) will greatly prevail all under the sky. Great indeed is the significance of what has to be done at the time indicated by Kâu!
天下有風，姤；后以施命誥四方。(The trigram representing) wind and that for the sky above it form Kâu. The sovereign, in accordance with this, delivers his charges, and promulgates his announcements throughout the four quarters (of the kingdom).
爻辭 The six lines
When one line moves, the hexagram becomes another:
- 上九Nine at the top
姤其角，吝，无咎。
The sixth line, undivided, shows its subject receiving others on his horns. There will be occasion for regret, but there will be no error.
Its symbolism 姤其角，上窮吝也。
'He receives others on his horns:'—he is exhausted at his greatest height, and there will be cause for regret.
- 九五Nine in the fifth place
以杞包瓜，含章，有隕自天。
The fifth line, undivided, (shows its subject as) a medlar tree overspreading the gourd (beneath it). If he keep his brilliant qualities concealed, (a good issue) will descend (as) from Heaven.
Its symbolism 九五含章，中正也。有隕自天，志不舍命也。
'The subject of the fifth line, undivided, keeps his brilliant qualities concealed:'—as is indicated by his central and correct position. '(The good issue) descends (as) from Heaven:'—his aim does not neglect the ordinances (of Heaven).
- 九四Nine in the fourth place
包无魚，起凶。
The fourth line, undivided, shows its subject with his wallet, but no fish in it. This will give rise to evil.
Its symbolism 无魚之凶，遠民也。
'The evil' indicated by there being 'no fish in the wallet' is owing to (the subject of the line) keeping himself aloof from the people.
- 九三Nine in the third place
臀无膚，其行次且，厲，无大咎。
The third line, undivided, shows one from whose buttocks the skin has been stripped so that he walks with difficulty. The position is perilous, but there will be no great error.
Its symbolism 其行次且，行未牽也。
'He walks with difficulty:'—but his steps have not yet been drawn (into the course of the first line).
- 九二Nine in the second place
包有魚，无咎，不利賓。
The second line, undivided, shows its subject with a wallet of fish. There will be no error. But it will not be well to let (the subject of the first line) go forward to the guests.
Its symbolism 包有魚，義不及賓也。
'He has a wallet of fish:'—it is right for him not to allow (the subject of the first line) to get to the guests.
- 初六Six at the beginning
繫于金柅，貞吉，有攸往，見凶，羸豕孚蹢躅。
The first line, divided, shows how its subject should be kept (like a carriage) tied and fastened to a metal drag, in which case with firm correctness there will be good fortune. (But) if he move in any direction, evil will appear. He will be (like) a lean pig, which is sure to keep jumping about.
Its symbolism 繫于金柅，柔道牽也。
'Tied and fastened to a metal drag:'—(this describes the arrest of) the weak (line) in its advancing course.
Shown in the classical Chinese with James Legge's English (1882).
Read 姤 Encounter for a question about
古籍
From the classics
Two of the Ten Wings speak of every hexagram: the Sequence (Xù Guà) says why it follows the one before, the Miscellany (Zá Guà) sums it up in a phrase. Here is what they say of 姤 gòu · Encounter.
決必有所遇，故受之以姤；姤者遇也。Breaking through, one is sure to meet something; therefore Gòu follows. Gòu means meeting.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
姤遇也，柔遇剛也。Gòu is meeting: the yielding meets the firm.
iching.tools translation (from the Chinese)
The classical Chinese is the authoritative text. Translations are iching.tools' own from the Chinese unless another translator is named; several attributions are traditional rather than historical (託名).
Questions about this hexagram
- What does Hexagram 44, Encounter, mean?
- Wind under heaven: one yin line arriving beneath five yang. An encounter — the woman is strong; do not marry her. Something small and tempting enters; watch it from the start.
- Which trigrams form Encounter?
- 乾 above 巽 — heaven over wind. Its nuclear hexagram (lines 2–5) is 乾 Heaven.
- What happens when a line of Encounter changes?
- A moving line turns the hexagram into another one; the list above shows all six. With several moving lines, the guide to changing lines explains which text to read.
- How do I get Encounter in a reading?
- Build six lines from the bottom up with three coins or yarrow stalks; the pattern - - — — — — — is Encounter. You can also cast a reading here — the lines are decided by code, the text is this page's.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).