Hexagram 44 of 64
Encounter
姤 Gòu
Upper trigram: 乾 Qián, heaven
Lower trigram: 巽 Xùn, wind
The judgment
女壯，勿用取女。
The woman is strong. Do not take this woman in marriage.
The Great Image
天下有風，姤；后以施命誥四方。
Beneath heaven there is wind: Encounter. In the same way, the ruler issues commands and proclaims them to the four quarters.
The six lines
Lines are counted from the bottom. Read a line closely when it changes in your cast.
Line 1 初六
系于金柅，貞吉，有攸往，見凶，羸豕孚蹢躅。
Tied to a bronze brake. Holding firm brings good fortune. Having somewhere to go, misfortune appears. A lean pig truly stamps and paces.
A brake holds a cart in place and a lean pig stamps to be let out. Consider what restless urge in you could use a firm check before it has gained strength.
Line 2 九二
包有魚，无咎，不利賓。
There is a fish in the wrapper. No blame. It is not fitting for guests.
A wrapped fish has to be kept and handled with care, and the line says it is not for the guests. Ask who should be told about what you are holding and who should not.
Line 3 九三
臀无膚，其行次且，厲，无大咎。
The buttocks have no skin. The walking is halting. Danger, no great blame.
This person cannot settle and cannot walk on. If a new attraction or offer has left you in that state, consider that the discomfort may be a reason to slow down.
Line 4 九四
包无魚，起凶。
No fish in the wrapper. Rising brings misfortune.
The wrapper is empty, and getting up in a hurry is the risk here. Ask whether you have lost touch with people you counted on, and consider how you might reach them calmly.
Line 5 九五
以杞包瓜，含章，有隕自天。
Wrapping a melon with boughs of the qi tree. Holding brilliance within. Something falls from heaven.
Something sweet is wrapped and kept out of sight, and something else falls from heaven. Consider whether you can hold your good qualities quietly and leave room for what you cannot plan.
Line 6 上九
姤其角，吝，无咎。
Encountering at the horns. Shame. No blame.
To meet at the horns is to meet only at the hardest, highest point. Ask whether a stiff manner has left you where no one can reach you, and whether that is a price you accept.
What this hexagram says
Wind below, heaven above: wind moves everywhere under the sky and touches everything. One broken line has appeared beneath five solid ones. It stands for a sudden meeting and for something small coming in that may grow.
The judgment warns against marrying a strong woman, which reflects the fears of its time and need not be yours. Read today, it asks about any meeting that arrives with more force than you can yet see. Ask what you would want to know before you commit to someone or something that has come on suddenly.
If your question is about a new partner, ally or offer, tradition reads this as a time to look closely before binding yourself. The lines speak of restraint early on, of keeping hold of what you have and of the cost of staying aloof at the top.
A hexagram is a prompt for reflection. It cannot promise a result, and it is no substitute for medical, legal or financial advice.
Where this text comes from
The Chinese follows the Wikisource text of the Zhou Yi (its page for this hexagram, 周易/姤), compared with the Project Gutenberg edition. The Great Image comes from the Wikisource page 周易/大象.
- Wikisource, 周易
Retrieved 2026-11-08
- Project Gutenberg eBook 25501, 易經
Retrieved 2026-11-08
Read this hexagram with its traditional commentaries in our library.
Where the sources differ
- In the first line, Wikisource (A) reads 系 and Project Gutenberg (B) reads 繫, both meaning tied here. A punctuates 羸豕，孚，蹢躅; the text here, like B, runs 羸豕孚蹢躅 together.
- In the first line, Wikisource (A) keeps 蹢躅 (stamping and pacing about) and notes that another text has 𨅙𨄃.
- In the second, fourth and fifth lines, Wikisource (A) keeps 包 (to wrap) and notes that another text has 苞.
The English renderings and the advice are by Cast & Chart. The advice is a modern reading and is not part of the classical text.