Hexagram 44
Coming to MeetGòu 姤
Also translated as Encountering, Temptation, Coupling.
Heaven above Wind / Wood below
A single yin line enters from below, meeting five strong ones: something small and seemingly harmless appears and quickly gains influence. Gou is about encounters, especially unexpected and seductive ones. Not every meeting should become a union. Recognize the influence for what it is before it takes hold, and engage with discernment rather than surrender.
Judgment
姤：女壯，勿用取女。
Meeting. The woman is strong. Do not take this woman in marriage.
Image
天下有風，姤；后以施命誥四方。
Wind beneath heaven: meeting. Taking this as a model, the sovereign sends out decrees and makes them known in every direction.
- Unexpected encounters
- Temptation
- Small influences that grow
- Discernment
- Setting limits early
- encounter
- temptation
- influence
- discernment
- caution
- attraction
- A small influence entering now can grow powerful.
- Meet without surrendering; not every encounter is a commitment.
- Set limits early, while it is easy.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Six at the beginning 初六
Line text
繫于金柅，貞吉，有攸往，見凶，羸豕孚蹢躅。
Tied to a bronze brake: steadfastness, good fortune. If one goes on, misfortune appears. A lean pig is sure to stamp and lunge.
Something harmful has just begun. Stop it now, firmly, while it is weak. Underestimating it because it seems small is the mistake.
- Checking a harmful beginning
- Not underestimating small things
- Letting a small problem run free
- Easy prevention now
Line 2Nine in the second place 九二
Line text
包有魚，无咎，不利賓。
There is a fish in the wrapping: no blame. Not favorable for guests.
You have the problem contained. Keep it under your own control and don't let it spread to others.
- Containment
- Protecting others
- Letting the problem reach others
- Keeping things in hand
Line 3Nine in the third place 九三
Line text
臀无膚，其行次且，厲，无大咎。
No skin on the buttocks; walking is halting and slow. Danger, but no great blame.
You feel drawn toward the temptation but circumstances hold you back. This is uncomfortable, but it saves you from a serious error.
- Thwarted temptation
- Saving restraint
- Resenting what protects you
- Avoiding a mistake despite yourself
Line 4Nine in the fourth place 九四
Line text
包无魚，起凶。
No fish in the wrapping. Rising up brings misfortune.
You have lost touch with people you depend on, perhaps through aloofness. Without their support, troubles arise. Reconnect.
- Losing touch with support
- Aloofness
- Dismissing those below you
- Rebuilding connections
Line 5Nine in the fifth place 九五
Line text
以杞包瓜，含章，有隕自天。
A melon wrapped in willow leaves: brilliance held within. Something falls from heaven.
Protect and nurture what is good, quietly and without force. When the time is ripe, the result arrives by itself, as a gift.
- Quiet nurturing
- Ripening in time
- Forcing the outcome
- Results that fall into your lap
Line 6Nine at the top 上九
Line text
姤其角，吝，无咎。
Meeting with the horns: regret, but no blame.
Rejecting encounters with pride and harshness isolates you. You may be criticized, but you keep yourself free of entanglement.
- Proud withdrawal
- Keeping clear
- Harshness that alienates
- Avoiding entanglement
Related hexagrams
Have a question on your mind?
Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
After Breakthrough removed the last yin line from the top, a new yin line appears at the bottom: the dark principle returns unexpectedly, just when it seemed gone. The judgment's warning against marrying the powerful maiden is a symbol: an attractive influence that seems minor may come to dominate if you commit to it unconditionally.
Yet the image is not only negative. Wind under heaven reaches everywhere, and meetings bring news and connection. The reading may suggest an encounter with a person, opportunity or impulse that deserves attention and boundaries. In relation to a question, Gou may emphasize discernment in new connections, awareness of how habits form and engaging openly without losing yourself.