初六：有孚不终，乃乱乃萃，若号一握为笑，勿恤，往无咎。
When willingness to join is interrupted by doubt, share the concern with someone trustworthy. A real response can turn confusion into connection.
I Ching Hexagram 45
Cuì · Gathering Together
萃 · Hexagram 45
Cui concerns people, resources, and intentions gathering together. The Lake upon the Earth can nourish, but concentration also brings pressure and uncertainty. What matters is why people gather, whom they trust, and how they will carry their shared strength.
Upper trigram: Lake/Duì
Lower trigram: Earth/Kūn
The situation you may be in
You may be organizing a gathering, seeking support, or finding your place in a group. Activity and attendance may be visible before belonging and a common purpose have genuinely formed.
How to respond
Clarify why people are gathering and how they can contribute and receive support. Notice those at the margins and prepare for actual needs; trust requires response rather than proof through numbers.
Judgment and Image
Judgment
萃：亨。王假有庙，利见大人，亨，利贞。用大牲吉，利有攸往。
Gathering Together. Success. The king approaches his temple. It furthers one to see the great person. This brings success. Perseverance furthers. To bring great offerings creates good fortune. It furthers one to undertake something.
Image
泽上于地，萃；君子以除戎器，戒不虞。
Lake over the earth: Gathering Together. The superior person renews his weapons in order to meet the unforeseen.
Applying it to real life
Love & relationships
Shared friends, family gatherings, and joint activities can deepen connection. Group approval cannot replace the two people's own intentions or their need for a private, honest conversation.
Career & work
Gather resources and develop cooperation around a clear coordinator and common purpose. Ensure that what arrives can be used well and that participants understand why their contribution matters.
Choice & decisions
Assess whether the gathering has a trustworthy center and a practical purpose. Learn the shared expectations before joining; if organizing, accept responsibility for participants and promises.
Timing & pace
The moment favors gathering, provided preparation matches the people and expectations involved. Where trust is still developing, remain clear and responsive rather than demanding immediate agreement.
The six changing lines
The lines unfold from the bottom upward, describing one pattern of change from its first appearance to its extreme. If your reading has a changing line, begin with that position.
六二：引吉，无咎，孚乃利用禴。
A sincere invitation can bring people together. Simple expression may carry the intention without an elaborate display of belonging.
六三：萃如，嗟如，无攸利，往无咎，小吝。
Feeling left at the edge of a group need not end the search for connection. An awkward approach may still be worthwhile.
九四：大吉，无咎。
A central position in a gathering needs outcomes that benefit the participants. Being followed alone is not enough to justify their trust.
九五：萃有位，无咎。匪孚，元永贞，悔亡。
A formal place at the center does not create trust automatically. Let consistent, sound conduct establish confidence over time.
上六：赍咨涕洟，无咎。
Express the sorrow of feeling apart honestly. Admitting a need for connection may invite more understanding than pretending it does not matter.
A common misreading
Cui does not assume that numbers guarantee success or that everyone must join one circle. Sincerity and shared purpose matter, while loneliness and disappointment still need to be heard within the gathering.
Related hexagrams
Text and interpretation
Updated 12 September 2026Reviewed by MysticEast Research
This page preserves the Chinese Judgment, Image, and line texts of the received Zhouyi. MysticEast's modern explanations are newly written to emphasize stages of change and practical judgment rather than fixed good-or-bad predictions.
Read the Zhouyi at the Chinese Text ProjectLet the hexagram meet your actual question
A guide gives you the map. A cast made with a clear question can help locate the exact stage of change you are experiencing.