I Ching Hexagram 45: Cui (萃), The Gathering — Meaning and Lines
I Ching Hexagram 45, Cui (萃): The Gathering. Kun below Dui, judgement, six lines, a careful reading.
Key points
| Number | 45 of 64 (King Wen sequence) |
|---|---|
| Chinese name | Cui (萃) |
| Name in French | Cui, le Rassemblement (The Gathering) |
| Lower trigram | ☷ Kun, Earth |
| Upper trigram | ☱ Dui, Lake |
| Image | A lake spread over the earth: water that gathers |
| Twin hexagram | No. 46, Sheng, Pushing Upward |
| Nature of the text | A book of wisdom and oracle, a tool for reflection, not a prediction |
Cui: what is it about?
Hexagram 45, Cui (萃, pronounced roughly "tsoo-ay"), is the hexagram of gathering: people, goods or forces that come together around a centre. The character first evokes plants growing in a tuft, then things that pile up. According to the traditional commentary on the order of the hexagrams, it follows Coming to Meet: we first meet, then we gather.
The two trigrams
The first three lines (at the bottom) form the lower trigram, the last three the upper one. Here, the Earth (Kun) lies beneath the Lake (Dui).
| Position | Trigram | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Upper (top) | ☱ Dui, the Lake | The lake |
| Lower (bottom) | ☷ Kun, the Earth | The earth |
The water of a lake spread over a receptive ground: a solid common base, an atmosphere that attracts. An assembly stands on these two supports.
The judgement in brief
The text gathers images of ceremony: the king goes to the ancestral temple, great sacrifices are offered, an important person is met. My summary: a gathering succeeds when it has a centre, a shared purpose and upright conduct. The commentary on the Image adds a note of caution: wherever crowds come together, the unexpected lurks, and the wise person puts their weapons in order (the verb is read in several ways: to repair, to renew, to store away).
General meaning
Cui speaks of what holds a group together: a common aim, a place or a person who serves as a reference point, shared rites. The hexagram is not naive: a large gathering attracts harmony as well as rivalry, and calls for vigilance.
As a symbolic reading, it may evoke a team taking shape, a family reunited, or ideas and resources gathered before acting. We always gather around something, never in a vacuum.
The six lines, from bottom to top
Each line is summarised in my own words; the ancient text is very elliptical and commentators complete it in different ways.
- Line 1, at the bottom (yin). One begins with good faith but does not follow through; the mind is confused. A call cried out with force can turn anxiety into laughter: there is no need to worry, one can move forward.
- Line 2 (yin). One is drawn along, and that is a good sign: sincerity matters more than the offering, even a very modest one.
- Line 3 (yin). The gathering does not come together: one sighs. Moving forward remains possible, without blame, though with some discomfort.
- Line 4 (yang). Very favourable, but the commentary notes that the place is not quite the right one: it has to be earned through conduct.
- Line 5 (yang). A position of responsibility, without blame. If trust is still lacking, the answer is a patient and lasting uprightness.
- Line 6, at the top (yin). At the summit, sorrow overflows: sighs and tears. The text sees no fault here, only an emotion to be passed through.
Changing lines
A "changing" line is about to turn into its opposite. One reads its text, then the hexagram that arises from the change, taken as the direction the situation is taking; schools differ when several lines are changing.
| Changing line | Change | Resulting hexagram |
|---|---|---|
| Line 1 | yin becomes yang | No. 17, Sui, Following |
| Line 2 | yin becomes yang | No. 47, Kun (oppression), Oppression |
| Line 3 | yin becomes yang | No. 31, Xian, Influence |
| Line 4 | yang becomes yin | No. 8, Bi, Holding Together |
| Line 5 | yang becomes yin | No. 16, Yu, Enthusiasm |
| Line 6 | yin becomes yang | No. 12, Pi, Standstill |
If all six lines changed together, the result would be No. 26 (Da Chu, The Taming Power of the Great). Line 5, the place of the leader, is where the group's trust is decided; lines 1 and 6, at the extremes, speak of emotion: confusion at the start, tears at the end.
A careful modern reading
Cui can be read in relation to anything that unites: setting up an association, bringing a team together, preparing a large family meal, gathering documents before setting off. Modern commentators draw above all a lesson in balance: a gathering gives strength but also tension, and a clear rule with a recognised centre prevents drift.
Questions for reflection
- Around what do my groups form: a goal, a person, a habit?
- What am I gathering within myself before deciding?
- What unexpected events should I anticipate in a shared project?
- Is my contribution sincere, even if it is modest?
Mistakes to avoid
- Believing that gathering guarantees the group's success: the text says no such thing.
- Forgetting the vigilance the commentary recommends: crowds do not have only virtues.
- Taking hexagram 45 as a prediction or as medical, financial, legal or safety advice: the I Ching is a tool for reflection, and such decisions belong to a professional.
Other names and other translations
The name "Cui, The Gathering" follows one translation tradition among others; in Chinese, Cui (萃). Cui is also rendered as assembly, convergence or massing together; in English one finds "gathering together" or "clustering".
In the King Wen sequence, it forms a pair with No. 46 (Sheng, Pushing Upward), whose figure is its own read upside down. Full list: the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching.
Frequently asked questions
What does hexagram 45 of the I Ching mean?
Cui, the gathering: what comes together around a centre, with the image of a lake spread over the earth.
Which trigrams make up hexagram 45?
Kun, the Earth, below, and Dui, the Lake, above.
Is Cui a "good" hexagram?
The judgement is favourable, but line 3 speaks of sighs and line 6 of tears: no hexagram is good or bad in itself; everything depends on the question and on the changing lines.
What is the difference between Cui (45) and Bi (8, Holding Together)?
In common readings, Bi stresses the bond of affinity between close people, while Cui stresses the convergence of many people around a centre and the caution that this convergence requires.
What happens when a line of hexagram 45 is changing?
It turns into its opposite and gives birth to a second hexagram, read as the direction the situation is taking. The table on this page gives the resulting hexagram for each of the six lines.
Can hexagram 45 be relied on to make a decision?
It can nourish reflection, but it can never replace the advice of a professional. For health, money, law or safety, consult the competent person; in case of distress, call 3114 or 112 in France (112 is the emergency number across the European Union).
Also read
The meanings mentioned belong to tradition and symbolism. They are neither promises of results nor medical advice. Back to The 64 hexagrams of the Yi King.