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Hexagram 44: Gou (姤) — Coming to Meet
Hexagram 44, Gou (姤) — Coming to Meet, is the forty-fourth figure of the Book of Changes, composed of the Heaven trigram over the Wind trigram; the ancients read it as the first encounter.
Meaning
Gou is the hexagram of the encounter. A single yielding line enters beneath five firm ones, and the old readers saw the first, quiet appearance of a new force that will, in time, grow strong. The judgment's warning about the powerful maiden was their way of saying that what is small and seductive at the outset must be recognised for what it will become. The book treats the first meeting as a decisive moment.
Turned toward a business or an undertaking, the figure describes the arrival of a small influence that grows. The lines speak of checking it with a brake of bronze, of a fish in the tank, of a melon covered with willow leaves — all images of something modest that must be handled with care while it is still manageable. The beginning is the moment of greatest power over what follows: what is not attended to early becomes impossible to control later.
Where attraction between people is concerned, Gou was read as the moment of first interest, and its ambiguity is the point. The powerful maiden is not to be married, the text warns — not because attraction is wrong, but because a bond entered lightly, at the first stirring of charm, lacks the depth to last. The ancients distinguished the fleeting encounter from the enduring one, and counselled care at the very beginning.
Within a cycle, this figure marks the entrance of something new — a person, an idea, a tendency — that has not yet shown its full character. The image of wind moving beneath heaven is the book's picture of influence spreading unseen through the wide world. The counsel is to meet the new thing with clear eyes, before it has gathered strength.
The Judgment
“Coming to Meet. The maiden is powerful. One should not marry such a maiden.”
The Six Lines of Coming to Meet
Line 1It must be checked with a brake of bronze. Perseverance brings good fortune. If one lets it take its course, one experiences misfortune.
Line 2There is a fish in the tank. No blame. Does not further guests.
Line 3There is no skin on his thighs, and walking comes hard. If one is mindful of the danger, no great mistake is made.
Line 4No fish in the tank. This leads to misfortune.
Line 5A melon covered with willow leaves. Hidden lines. Then it drops down to one from heaven.
Line 6He comes to meet with his horns. Humiliation. No blame.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Which trigrams form Hexagram 44?
Gou (姤) places the Heaven trigram (Qian, 乾) above the Wind trigram (Xun, 巽). Wind moving beneath the open sky was the ancients' image of an influence spreading where it is not yet seen — the source of the meaning of coming to meet.
Why does Hexagram 44 warn against the powerful maiden?
The judgment reads: 'Coming to Meet. The maiden is powerful. One should not marry such a maiden.' The old commentaries explain that a force powerful at its first, quiet appearance will only grow stronger — and that a bond formed on charm alone, before the character is known, is not a safe one.
What is meant by checking it with a brake of bronze?
The first line, 'It must be checked with a brake of bronze,' was read as counsel to restrain a new influence while it is still small. The commentators saw the beginning as the moment of greatest control — a force is easiest to guide when it has only just appeared.
Related
Source: Judgment and line texts follow the Wilhelm/Baynes rendering of the Yijing.
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