45. Cuì 萃
GATHERING, COMMUNITY, ASSEMBLY, REUNION
GATHERING, COMMUNITY, ASSEMBLY, REUNION
A gathering of a large group of people to solve a common task. It should be controlled by a sensible leader, developing firmness of character.
A gathering of a large group of people to solve a common task. It should be controlled by a sensible leader, developing firmness of character.
Hexagram Structure
After the disjoining the pendulum swings back: this sign is the direct antithesis of the previous one, and the law of alternation itself leads what was scattered towards gathering. Below stands Earth, pure compliance; above, the Lake, the element of joy. The foundation receives and carries, the top responds with joy — a combination in which it is natural for people to draw together into one whole without any compulsion. The aphorism unfolds the picture of gathering to its utmost depth: the king enters the temple of the ancestors, that is, the circle of reunion takes in not only the living but the memory of the clan, its dead. Three conditions are named for success: a meeting with a great person, steadfastness and a serious sacrifice. The last is to be understood literally: a common undertaking of this scale is not put together out of small contributions, and every participant will have to give up something tangible. In return the direction is set plainly — there is somewhere to move, and the movement itself is approved from the very start.
How It Works in Practice
The period is a generous one: whatever you take on, you will carry through to a result. A matter begun now will not hang half-finished — it has both the run-up and the backing. A separate mercy of this stretch is a settling of old accounts: the labour and effort of past years, which seemed forgotten, will start coming back as payment, recognition, response.
There is an obstacle too, and it has a woman's face. A certain woman is trying to get across your path, to hinder your intentions, to interfere in your life itself. Knowing this is useful; dramatising it is not: her efforts will not affect the outcome of the period, provided you give them no more attention than they deserve.
In the human circle a following wind is blowing that is hard to explain rationally: ties strengthen as if by themselves, new acquaintances form easily and promise to become close and useful. Such a conjunction does not happen often, and it is worth using deliberately — going out to people, reviving contacts that have gone quiet, securing the fresh ones while the run lasts.
Direct advice: your wishes will be fulfilled despite other people's attempts to hinder them. Direct your strength where the return is greatest right now — into strengthening the circle of people around you. Everything you put into those ties in this period will come back with interest when the common upsurge begins to subside and it is people, not circumstances, that become your support.
Traditional Description
Above is the trigram Dui (Lake), below is the trigram Kun (Earth). The metaphorical image of this hexagram is a gathering achieved in two ways. Firstly, water from rain and streams forms a lake. Secondly, when water threatens to rise too high, society gathers to prevent flooding. Tsui signifies the unification of a large group of people to solve a common task.
Although the collective power of united communities can produce positive changes, there is always a danger of conflict, theft, and exploitation in any crowd. Tsui reminds us to be prepared for unexpected situations and strive to maintain order.
Therefore, when a crowd gathers, it must be controlled by a sensible leader. To effectively act in this role, we must develop firmness of character.
By winning the support and trust of the community, we test our mental and emotional abilities, as well as physical endurance, but when great goals are achieved through goodwill and mutual support of the community, such efforts are generously rewarded.nnnnn
I Ching Talking
Reunion for the one who occupies the throne. There will be no slander. If there is still no trust, be steadfast from the beginning and forever, then regret will disappear
Hexagram Line Descriptions
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The top line finds the end of a happy period, and that end is mourned aloud: complaints, groans, tears. The breakdown looks excessive, but there is no fault in it — parting with a community that has become one's own is bound to hurt. The consolation here lies not in words but in the very structure of the changes: by the law of alternation the next favourable situation already stands behind the gathering that has ended. Living through the farewell is the last work of this sign.
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The fifth step belongs to the one who stands at the centre of the gathering and holds it together. The position is faultless, there are no reproaches — and yet the trust of those around is not guaranteed: too bright a fourth step stood right beside it, and its trace is still alive in the memory of the assembled. There is one answer — steadfastness, and not a one-off kind but from the beginning and for good. Doubts of this sort are not refuted by words; only a long, even loyalty to the chosen road dissolves them.
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The fourth position is the point where the crisis is left behind and the synthesis turns from an intention into a matter of fact. The verdict of the step is unconditional: large happiness, and there is no one to censure and nothing to censure them for. For joint designs this is the best moment of the whole situation — what was planned together is realised now with the least resistance. The run is worth catching in time: it belongs not to one person but to everyone who has gathered, and it works while the common upsurge holds.
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The third step catches up with the gathering late: the best moment for joining has been missed, and instead of joy there are sighs. There is indeed little favourable in such a position. Yet standing still is the worst of the options: movement outward remains the right course, and there will be no reproach for it. The price will be only a light regret at not having entered the circle earlier. That bitterness can be borne, while inaction would fix the lag for good.
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On the second step not even initiative is required: it is enough to let the common movement carry you along — and that is called good fortune outright. The position is balanced and in tune with the summit of the process, so pliancy here is not weakness but an exact fit to the rhythm. A sacrifice from such a place is accepted even if small: the weight of the offering does not matter when real truthfulness and reverence stand behind it. The inner state takes the place of splendour.
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The start of the gathering comes out ragged: the truthfulness of the first step is not yet complete, and from that bewilderment is possible — people reach towards one another, then scatter. One call is enough: cry out and everyone will come together at once, while the awkwardness turns into a shared laugh. There is no need to fear this discord of voices. Resolve is justified here: whoever steps forward first will earn no reproach, even if the beginning comes out clumsy. The attempt to gather people already counts, and smoothness will come later.
The sign has no combined aphorism for all the lines at once, but the six steps read as a single schooling in common cause. Below, a clumsy beginning and the skill of giving oneself to the current; in the middle, the payment for being late and the reward for exactness; above, the test of mistrust and of the pain of parting. One thread runs through it all: reunion holds not on the advantage of the participants but on truthfulness and a readiness to sacrifice. Whoever brought only calculation into the common circle was never really in it.