Hexagram 44 — Coupling
King Wen #44 · plain-language meaning, the Image, and the classical text
The unexpected encounter. A strong force appears — meet it early and firmly.
What Hexagram 44 Means 白话解读
Hexagram 44 places wind (巽) beneath heaven (乾) — gentle influence working inward below, creative force pressing upward above. This is why the tradition reads it as “Coupling”: the unexpected encounter. A strong force appears — meet it early and firmly. Whenever you cast this figure, the classical reading points back to that turning of forces.
The Image 象傳
天下有風，姤；后以施命誥四方。
(The trigram representing) wind and that for the sky above it form Kâu. The sovereign, in accordance with this, delivers his charges, and promulgates his announcements throughout the four quarters (of the kingdom).— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
Wind moves under heaven: coming to meet. The ruler issues his commands to the four quarters.— plain-English rendering by The Hexagrams2
Hexagram 44 in Real Questions 實問實答
With money and work
Coupling describes the unexpected encounter. A strong force appears — meet it early and firmly — and that is the posture the tradition recommends for practical matters under this figure: gentle influence working inward, held inside a larger setting of creative force pressing upward. It names a shape of timing, not a sum.
For a decision
If you cast Coupling about a choice, the figure's counsel is the same movement it pictures: the unexpected encounter. A strong force appears — meet it early and firmly. When lines move in your cast, read them against this base — the moving lines show which part of the figure is awake for you, and the changed hexagram shows where it is heading.
Questions About Hexagram 44
What does 姤 (gòu) mean?
Hexagram 44 of the I Ching is named 姤 (gòu), usually rendered "Coupling" in English editions. Its figure is built from wind (巽) below and heaven (乾) above — gentle influence working inward beneath creative force pressing upward.
Is hexagram 44 a good omen?
The received text of hexagram 44 is warm: it contains one occurrence of 吉 (good fortune), 2 of 凶 (misfortune), and 3 of 無咎 (no blame). The classical verdict is broadly favourable — with the lines' own conditions attached.
What does hexagram 44 mean in love?
In a relationship reading, Coupling points to the unexpected encounter. A strong force appears — meet it early and firmly. The figure pairs wind (巽) beneath heaven (乾) — gentle influence working inward meeting creative force pressing upward — which is the traditional picture of how this energy behaves between two people. For how to phrase a love question before casting, see our guide to asking the I Ching about love.
What does hexagram 44 mean for career and money?
Career and money questions read Coupling through the figure itself: wind (巽) below, heaven (乾) above — gentle influence working inward held inside creative force pressing upward. The plain reading: The unexpected encounter. A strong force appears — meet it early and firmly. The text carries 1 mention of 吉 (good fortune) and 2 of 凶 (misfortune), so it is read as workable — provided the conduct the lines describe is kept.
What do the changing lines of hexagram 44 mean?
A cast of hexagram 44 can produce moving lines. Each of the six lines has its own statement (爻辭) in the classical text below, read from the bottom up, and a moving line is read as the part of the figure that is awake for your question. When a line moves it turns into its opposite, and the whole figure becomes a second hexagram: changing every line of 44 gives hexagram 24, 復 (Returning). Every line also has a page of its own on this site — Line 1 through Line 6 under this hexagram — with the classical Chinese and Legge's translation side by side.
How is hexagram 44 related to the other hexagrams?
Changing every line of hexagram 44 gives hexagram 24 — 復 (Returning). Turned upside down it becomes hexagram 43 — 夬 (Displacement). Its nuclear hexagram — the inner pattern of lines 2 through 5 — is hexagram 1 — 乾 (Force).
Cast it yourself
Shake the tube, watch your own coins fall.
- The hexagram's classical meaning — judgment and all six lines
- Moving lines marked — but not read for you
- No account, no email, nothing to pay
Get the reading, not just the text
Same cast, read all the way through:
- Every line read for you — what each moving line means inside your question
- The changed hexagram — where your situation is heading, and how to read the turn
- A closing that answers you directly — act, wait, or say it out loud
New to casting? How it works · All 64 hexagrams
Related Hexagrams 錯綜互
The Classical Text 經文
女壯，勿用取女。
Gou shows a female who is bold and strong. It will not be good to marry (such) a female.— The I Ching, trans. James Legge, 1899 (public domain)1
The Six Lines 爻辞
繫于金柅，貞吉；有攸往，見凶，羸豕孚躑躅。
The first SIX, 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.
包有魚，無咎，不利賓。
The second NINE, 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.
臀無膚，其行次且；厲，無大咎。
The third NINE, undivided, shows one from whose buttocks the skin has been stripped so that he walks with difficulty. The position is perilous, but there will be no great error.
包無魚，起凶。
The fourth NINE, undivided, shows its subject with his wallet, but no fish in it. This will give rise to evil.
以杞包瓜，含章，有隕自天。
The fifth NINE, undivided, (shows its subject as) a medlar tree overspreading the gourd (beneath it). If he keep his brilliant qualities concealed, (a good issue) will descend (as) from Heaven.
姤其角，吝，無咎。
The sixth NINE, undivided, shows its subject receiving others on his horns. There will be occasion for regret, but there will be no error.
Line by Line 逐爻细读
1 Legge, James. The Yi King, Sacred Books of the East vol. XVI (1899), public domain. Classical Chinese from the received Zhouyi text.2 The Image (象傳) is an ancient text in the public domain; its plain-English gloss here is original to The Hexagrams, not a quotation from any copyrighted edition. · For reflection and entertainment — not financial, medical, or life advice.