Yarrow / Source Notes / 2026-07-17

Yarrow source note · 2026-07-17

Hexagram 44 Gou: Read the Judgment Before the Advice

A source-first reading note for Hexagram 44, Gou (Coming to Meet), with a reference translation, trigram frame, and one reversible observation practice.

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Hexagram 44 · 姤 · Gou

Coming to Meet

The lower trigram is 巽 (风), associated in the bundled corpus with 入; the upper trigram is 乾 (天), associated with 健. Read the lower trigram as the inner or starting field and the upper trigram as the outward field before turning the pattern into advice.

Reference translation

Coming to Meet. The maiden is powerful. One should not marry such a maiden. The Commentary on the Decision says: Coming to Meet means encountering; the yielding meets the firm. "One should not marry such a maiden" — for one cannot long endure with her. When heaven and earth meet, all creatures stand forth in splendor. When the firm meets that which is central and correct, the great way prevails throughout the world. Great indeed is the meaning of the time of Coming to Meet. The Commentary on the Image says: Under heaven, wind: the image of Coming to Meet. Thus did the sovereign of old issue his commands and proclaim them to the four quarters.

See the original-text and authority layers in the complete catalog entry.

Context from the authority layer

This commentary cites Han-period Admonitions for Women to explain firmness and yielding through prescribed male and female virtues. Those gender prescriptions are preserved as historical context only; Yarrow does not endorse them or use them to judge character, ability, or social role.

Read the structure before the slogan

The lower trigram is 巽 (风), associated in the bundled corpus with 入; the upper trigram is 乾 (天), associated with 健. Read the lower trigram as the inner or starting field and the upper trigram as the outward field before turning the pattern into advice.

One accountable observation practice

Copy one concrete verb, condition, or image from the reference translation for Hexagram 44. Name one place where it is observable in the situation you are examining. Then choose one small step you can reverse and write the condition that would make you review it.

Common misread to avoid

Do not turn Coming to Meet into a personality label, a guaranteed event, or a verdict about another person. The translation and trigram frame are source layers to examine, not an instruction to surrender judgment.

Source boundary

The reference translation and context are drawn from Yarrow's bundled structured Zhouyi authority layer. Yarrow keeps that layer separate from optional modern reflection. This page does not claim that Hexagram 44 was cast for your question.