Hexagram 45, line 5
九五Line 5 of Assembly
Nine in the fifth place · 萃 cuì
爻辭 The line text
萃有位，无咎。匪孚，元永貞，悔亡。The fifth line, undivided, shows the union (of all) under its subject in the place of dignity. There will be no error. If any do not have confidence in him, let him see to it that (his virtue) be great, long-continued, and firmly correct, and all occasion for repentance will disappear.
萃有位，志未光也。'There is the union (of all) under him in the place of dignity:'—(but) his mind and aim have not yet been brilliantly displayed.
In plain words
The ruler of Cui: 'gathering, with the position — no blame; if some do not trust, be great, lasting and steady, and regret vanishes' (萃有位，無咎，匪孚，元永貞，悔亡). Yang, central and correct in Dui, corresponding to line two, this is the one the assembly is for. But the text admits that holding the office is not the same as holding the people: some of them have gathered around line four instead. The small Image says the will has not yet shone out (志未光也). The answer is not to compete with the minister but to be so consistently right over a long time that doubt has nothing to feed on.
If this line is changing
Your position is legitimate but not everyone is convinced; do not force their trust — earn it by being large-minded, consistent and steady for as long as it takes.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
- It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
- It belongs to the upper trigram 兌 Dui (the Joyous) (lake).
- It corresponds (應) with line 2: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
萃 Assembly becomes ䷏ 16 豫 Delight
Thunder bursting out of the earth: music, enthusiasm, movement in harmony with the time. Favourable to appoint helpers and set things in motion.
What it becomes16 · 豫 DelightyùThe 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 Nine in the fifth place of hexagram 45, Assembly, mean?
- The ruler of Cui: 'gathering, with the position — no blame; if some do not trust, be great, lasting and steady, and regret vanishes' (萃有位，無咎，匪孚，元永貞，悔亡). Yang, central and correct in Dui, corresponding to line two, this is the one the assembly is for. But the text admits that holding the office is not the same as holding the people: some of them have gathered around line four instead. The small Image says the will has not yet shone out (志未光也). The answer is not to compete with the minister but to be so consistently right over a long time that doubt has nothing to feed on.
- What does hexagram 45 become when line 5 changes?
- Assembly becomes hexagram 16, 豫 Delight: Thunder bursting out of the earth: music, enthusiasm, movement in harmony with the time. Favourable to appoint helpers and set things in motion.
- Is line 5 of Assembly in its correct place?
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands. 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).