I Ching · King Wen 44
Hexagram 44: Coming to Meet
䷫ 姤 Gòu · also called Encountering, Temptation, Coupling · The Creative above The Gentle
One yin line entering beneath five yang: an encounter that looks small and must be met with clear judgement.
encountertemptationvigilancebeginningsjudgement
The meaning of Hexagram 44
Wind below, heaven above: wind moving under the sky, reaching into everything. One yielding line has entered at the bottom, the reverse of Breakthrough. Coming to Meet describes an encounter with something that seems harmless and is not: an influence, a person, a temptation, a small beginning of a large change. The tradition's judgement is blunt: the maiden is powerful, one should not marry such a maiden. The image is gentler: the prince issues commands and proclaims them to the four quarters. The reading asks for alertness at the point of meeting: what is arriving is small now and will not stay small, and the right response is to see it clearly and to set terms at once.
The image. Wind under heaven; the prince issues commands and makes them known to the four quarters.
- Advice
- See the encounter clearly at the start, set terms at once, and do not bind yourself to what will grow.
- Warning
- What is dismissed as small at the moment of meeting is what governs the situation later.
over
Structure: ☴ The Gentle (Wind) below, ☰ The Creative (Heaven) above. Nuclear hexagram 1, The Creative. Every line reversed: 24, Return.
Hexagram 44 for love and relationships
An encounter, attractive and possibly unwise. The reading does not say refuse it; it says see it for what it is and do not bind yourself to something that will grow beyond your control. Set the terms at the start.
Hexagram 44 for career
A new influence, person or proposal entering, apparently minor. Treat it with full attention; the hexagram's lesson is that what enters small becomes decisive. Judge it now, clearly, and declare where you stand.
Hexagram 44 for money
A tempting opportunity that arrives unexpectedly. Do not commit on the strength of its appeal. The reading warns against being drawn into a coupling whose consequences you cannot yet see.
Hexagram 44 for decisions
Recognise the meeting for what it is before you decide. The reading is against binding commitments to an influence that has just appeared and looks small. Set conditions; do not marry the maiden.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
He comes to meet with his horns. Humiliation. No blame.
Withdrawing from the world and meeting everything with prickly reserve. Others find it off-putting and the person does not mind. The line calls it humiliation and clears it of blame: aloofness is a fault only in manners.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 28, Great Excess. Read line 6 →
A melon covered with willow leaves. Hidden lines. Then it drops down from heaven.
The one in authority protecting what is lesser with quiet care, without display. The melon under the leaves ripens; what is nurtured in secret comes as a gift from heaven. The line is the hexagram's grace.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 50, The Cauldron. Read line 5 →
No fish in the tank. This leads to misfortune.
The one who should have contained the influence has let it go, out of contempt or neglect, and lost the connection to those below. Misfortune comes from having failed to meet what should have been met.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 57, The Gentle. Read line 4 →
No skin on the thighs, walking is hard. If one is mindful of the danger, no great mistake is made.
Tempted, and unable to act on it; uncomfortable, restless, stuck. The line's saving grace is awareness: knowing the danger keeps the person from a serious error, even while they suffer the discomfort.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 6, Conflict. Read line 3 →
There is a fish in the tank. No blame. Does not further guests.
The inferior influence contained: held gently but kept from spreading to others. The line approves of tolerant containment and is clear that what is contained must not be passed on.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 33, Retreat. Read line 2 →
It must be checked with a brake of bronze. Persistence brings good fortune. If one lets it run, misfortune. A lean pig thrashes about.
The influence at its first entry, when it is easiest to stop and looks least worth stopping. The lean pig will fatten. The line asks for a firm check now, while a check is still cheap.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 1, The Creative. Read line 1 →
Related hexagrams
Cast your own reading
Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.
Ask the I Ching →Common questions
- What does I Ching Hexagram 44 mean?
- One yin line entering beneath five yang: an encounter that looks small and must be met with clear judgement. Wind below, heaven above: wind moving under the sky, reaching into everything. One yielding line has entered at the bottom, the reverse of Breakthrough. Coming to Meet describes an encounter with something that seems harmless and is not: an influence, a person, a temptation, a small beginning of a large change. The tradition's judgement is blunt: the maiden is powerful, one should not marry such a maiden. The image is gentler: the prince issues commands and proclaims them to the four quarters. The reading asks for alertness at the point of meeting: what is arriving is small now and will not stay small, and the right response is to see it clearly and to set terms at once.
- What does Hexagram 44 mean for love?
- An encounter, attractive and possibly unwise. The reading does not say refuse it; it says see it for what it is and do not bind yourself to something that will grow beyond your control. Set the terms at the start.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 44 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 1, The Creative; line 2 gives Hexagram 33, Retreat; line 3 gives Hexagram 6, Conflict; line 4 gives Hexagram 57, The Gentle; line 5 gives Hexagram 50, The Cauldron; line 6 gives Hexagram 28, Great Excess. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 24, Return.