Hexagram 45, line 1
初六Line 1 of Assembly
Six at the beginning · 萃 cuì
爻辭 The line text
有孚不終，乃亂乃萃，若號一握為笑，勿恤，往无咎。The first line, divided, shows its subject with a sincere desire (for union), but unable to carry it out, so that disorder is brought into the sphere of his union. If he cry out (for help to his proper correlate), all at once (his tears) will give place to smiles. He need not mind (the temporary difficulty); as he goes forward, there will be no error.
乃亂乃萃，其志亂也。'In consequence disorder is brought into the sphere of his union:'—his mind and aim are thrown into confusion.
In plain words
The first line 'is sincere but does not carry it through; now confused, now gathering; if he cries out, one handful becomes laughter — no need to worry, going forward is without blame' (有孚不終，乃亂乃萃，若號一握為笑，勿恤，往無咎). Yin at the bottom of Kun, it has a proper correlate in the strong fourth line, but it is surrounded by two other yin lines that pull it toward the wrong crowd. Its sincerity is real; its constancy is not. The small Image puts the fault in one place: its will is confused (其志亂也). The remedy is to call out to the one it truly belongs with, and the tangle resolves into laughter.
If this line is changing
If you find yourself wavering between the group around you and the one you actually trust, stop hedging and call out plainly to the latter; the confusion clears as soon as you commit.
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 坤 Kun (the Receptive) (earth).
- 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
萃 Assembly becomes ䷐ 17 隨 Following Along
Thunder resting in the lake: following the time, taking rest in the evening. Supreme success in following what is right — and in being worth following.
What it becomes17 · 隨 Following AlongsuíThe six lines of 萃 Assembly
- 初六Six at the beginningsincerity that falters · confusion in the crowd · cry and it turns to laughter
- 六二Six in the second placedrawn forward · unchanged centre · small offering accepted
- 六三Six in the third placesighing to gather · nowhere to belong · small regret
- 九四Nine in the fourth placegreat fortune required · wrong place · gathering below the ruler
- 九五Nine in the fifth placegathering in office · not yet trusted · lasting steadiness
- 上六Six at the topsighs and tears · no rest at the top · left out of the gathering
Read 萃 Assembly for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six at the beginning of hexagram 45, Assembly, mean?
- The first line 'is sincere but does not carry it through; now confused, now gathering; if he cries out, one handful becomes laughter — no need to worry, going forward is without blame' (有孚不終，乃亂乃萃，若號一握為笑，勿恤，往無咎). Yin at the bottom of Kun, it has a proper correlate in the strong fourth line, but it is surrounded by two other yin lines that pull it toward the wrong crowd. Its sincerity is real; its constancy is not. The small Image puts the fault in one place: its will is confused (其志亂也). The remedy is to call out to the one it truly belongs with, and the tangle resolves into laughter.
- What does hexagram 45 become when line 1 changes?
- Assembly becomes hexagram 17, 隨 Following Along: Thunder resting in the lake: following the time, taking rest in the evening. Supreme success in following what is right — and in being worth following.
- Is line 1 of Assembly 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).