Hexagram 54 Line 1: 初九
Gui Mei —歸妹 —The Marrying Maiden
Position: Line 1 (Lower Trigram)初九 —Yang ⚊ (Solid)Register: auspicious
Classical Chinese Text
初九 歸妹以娣。跛能履。征吉。
歸guīmarries
妹mèithe maiden
以yǐas
娣dìsecond
跛bǒthe lame
能néngcan manage
履lǚto walk
征zhēngto expedite
吉jíis promising
Line Commentary
The marrying maiden as a concubine. A lame man who is able to tread. Undertakings bring good fortune. A girl entering a family with the consent of the wife will not rank outwardly as her equal but will withdraw modestly into the background. If she understands how to fit herself into the pattern of things, her position will be entirely satisfactory. Though hampered by this status, as if lame, she can nevertheless accomplish something through kindliness of nature.
When This Line Changes
If Line 1 changes, Hexagram 54 Gui Mei (The Marrying Maiden) transforms into Hexagram 40 Xie (Deliverance).
Parent Hexagram
The Marrying Maiden
Gui Mei歸妹 (54)
Thunder (震) over Lake (兌)
Upper Trigram: ☳ Thunder | Lower Trigram: ☱ Lake