Hexagram 44, line 2
九二Line 2 of Encounter
Nine in the second place · 姤 gòu
爻辭 The line text
包有魚，无咎，不利賓。The second line, undivided, shows its subject with a wallet of fish. There will be no error. But it will not be well to let (the subject of the first line) go forward to the guests.
包有魚，義不及賓也。'He has a wallet of fish:'—it is right for him not to allow (the subject of the first line) to get to the guests.
In plain words
Line two 'has a fish in the wrapper — no blame; it is not favourable for guests' (包有魚，無咎，不利賓). The fish is the yin first line; line two, yang and central in Xun, sits directly on it and holds it (比初六). It is not the first line's proper correlate — that is line four — but proximity wins, and because a strong central line keeps the yin contained, there is no blame. 'Not for guests' means the fish must not be passed on or shared: the small Image says it is not right for it to reach the guests (義不及賓也). Containment works only if it is complete.
If this line is changing
You are the one in a position to keep this influence in check; do so quietly and completely, and do not let it circulate to others who could not handle it.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang 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 is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 巽 Xun (the Gentle) (wind).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 5: both lines are yang, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
姤 Encounter becomes ䷠ 33 遯 Withdrawal
Heaven withdrawing from the mountain: retreat in good time. Yin grows, and the wise step back with dignity — success through retreat, small advantage in persevering.
What it becomes33 · 遯 WithdrawaldùnThe 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 Nine in the second place of hexagram 44, Encounter, mean?
- Line two 'has a fish in the wrapper — no blame; it is not favourable for guests' (包有魚，無咎，不利賓). The fish is the yin first line; line two, yang and central in Xun, sits directly on it and holds it (比初六). It is not the first line's proper correlate — that is line four — but proximity wins, and because a strong central line keeps the yin contained, there is no blame. 'Not for guests' means the fish must not be passed on or shared: the small Image says it is not right for it to reach the guests (義不及賓也). Containment works only if it is complete.
- What does hexagram 44 become when line 2 changes?
- Encounter becomes hexagram 33, 遯 Withdrawal: Heaven withdrawing from the mountain: retreat in good time. Yin grows, and the wise step back with dignity — success through retreat, small advantage in persevering.
- Is line 2 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. It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).