I Ching · Hexagram 45 of 64
45. Cuì 萃 · Gathering Together
By Destiny Kua · Updated
People come together around a shared centre.
- Upper trigram
- Lake 兌
- Lower trigram
- Earth 坤
What hexagram 45 means
Cuì shows a lake gathering above the earth: water collects and people come together. It is gathering around a shared centre, a leader, a cause or a tradition. The traditional advice is to gather sincerely, offer something meaningful, and prepare for the unexpected, because crowds bring both strength and risk.
Hexagram 45 in daily life
At work
A good time for team building, events and rallying people around a clear goal. Plan contingencies.
In relationships
Community and belonging. Show up for gatherings; relationships deepen in company.
For yourself
Find the people who share your centre and spend time with them.
The six changing lines
If your cast included changing lines (a 6 or a 9), read the matching lines below. Line 1 is the bottom line.
| Line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Line 1 | Sincere but not steady; confusion follows. Call out, one handshake, and tears turn to laughter. |
| Line 2 | Letting yourself be drawn in brings good fortune. Sincerity makes even a small offering enough. |
| Line 3 | Gathering with sighs, feeling left out. Go anyway; slight embarrassment, no blame. |
| Line 4 | Great good fortune, no blame. |
| Line 5 | Gathering around a position of authority. If trust is lacking, stay steady and sincere; regret disappears. |
| Line 6 | Lamenting and weeping. Honest grief brings no blame. |
The two trigrams
The lower trigram, Earth 坤 (Kūn), stands for your inner state and the root of the situation. The upper trigram, Lake 兌 (Duì), stands for the outer circumstances. In element terms this is Metal over Earth. Earth is the trigram of Kua 2 and Lake is the trigram of Kua 7.
Related hexagrams
- Opposite (every line changed): 26. Dà Chù 大畜 · Great Taming
- Inverted (read upside down): 46. Shēng 升 · Pushing Upward
- Trigrams swapped: 19. Lín 臨 · Approach
Questions to reflect on
- Whom am I gathering with, and why?
- What is our shared centre?
- What sincere offering can I bring?
Our line summaries are written in plain English in our own words, based on the traditional meanings. For reflection and entertainment, not prediction or professional advice.