Hexagram 44, line 1
初六Line 1 of Encounter
Six at the beginning · 姤 gòu
爻辭 The line text
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.
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.
In plain words
The first line is the whole subject of Gou: a single yin arriving beneath five yang. 'Tied to a metal brake, steadiness brings good fortune; if it goes anywhere, misfortune appears; a lean pig strains to leap about' (繫於金柅，貞吉，有攸往見凶，羸豕孚蹢躅). The brake is a chock that stops a cart; the lean pig is weak now but restless, and will fatten. The line is yin in a yang place at the start of Xun, the trigram of entering, and its tendency is to advance. The small Image explains the brake: the way of the soft is to be held back (柔道牽也). The first line of Guai and this one are mirror images — there the yang moves first and fails, here the yin must be stopped from moving at all.
If this line is changing
The small thing that has just entered your life looks harmless, and that is exactly when to put the brake on it; if you let it move freely now it will not stay small.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin line that moves when cast.
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 巽 Xun (the Gentle) (wind).
- It corresponds (應) with line 4: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
姤 Encounter becomes ䷀ 1 乾 Heaven
Pure yang, six unbroken lines: heaven in ceaseless motion. Creative force and leadership, pictured as a dragon rising stage by stage — hidden, in the field, flying, and finally overreaching.
What it becomes1 · 乾 HeavenqiánThe six lines of 姤 Encounter
- 初六Six at the beginningmetal brake · the first yin · the lean pig
- 九二Nine in the second placefish in the wrapper · containment · not for the guests
- 九三Nine in the third placeno skin on the buttocks · halting · not yet drawn in
- 九四Nine in the fourth placeno fish in the wrapper · lost the people · trouble arises
- 九五Nine in the fifth placewillow sheltering the gourd · hidden brilliance · falls from heaven
- 上九Nine at the topmeeting with the horns · exhausted at the top · regret but no blame
Read 姤 Encounter for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six at the beginning of hexagram 44, Encounter, mean?
- The first line is the whole subject of Gou: a single yin arriving beneath five yang. 'Tied to a metal brake, steadiness brings good fortune; if it goes anywhere, misfortune appears; a lean pig strains to leap about' (繫於金柅，貞吉，有攸往見凶，羸豕孚蹢躅). The brake is a chock that stops a cart; the lean pig is weak now but restless, and will fatten. The line is yin in a yang place at the start of Xun, the trigram of entering, and its tendency is to advance. The small Image explains the brake: the way of the soft is to be held back (柔道牽也). The first line of Guai and this one are mirror images — there the yang moves first and fails, here the yin must be stopped from moving at all.
- What does hexagram 44 become when line 1 changes?
- Encounter becomes hexagram 1, 乾 Heaven: Pure yang, six unbroken lines: heaven in ceaseless motion. Creative force and leadership, pictured as a dragon rising stage by stage — hidden, in the field, flying, and finally overreaching.
- Is line 1 of Encounter in its correct place?
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).