Hexagram 54 Line 5: 六五
Gui Mei —歸妹 —The Marrying Maiden
Position: Line 5 (Upper Trigram)六五 —Yin ⚋ (Broken)Register: auspicious
Classical Chinese Text
六五 帝乙歸妹。其君之袂。不如其娣之袂良。月幾望吉。
帝dìas
乙yǐYi's [the penultimate Shang Emperor]
歸guīgiving
妹mèihis little sister
其qíthis
君jūnnoblewoman
之zhī's
袂mèigownsleeves
不bùdid not
如rúcompare well with
其qíher
娣dìbridesmaid
之zhī's
袂mèigownsleeves
良liángin fineness
月yuèas
幾jīis
望wàngfull
吉jíis promising
Line Commentary
The sovereign I gave his daughter in marriage. The embroidered garments of the princess were not as gorgeous as those of the serving maid. The moon that is nearly full brings good fortune. A girl of aristocratic birth who marries a man of modest circumstances and understands how to adapt with grace. Free of vanity of outer adornment, forgetting her rank, she takes a place below her husband, just as the moon before it is quite full does not directly face the sun.
When This Line Changes
If Line 5 changes, Hexagram 54 Gui Mei (The Marrying Maiden) transforms into Hexagram 58 Dui (The Joyous).
Parent Hexagram
The Marrying Maiden
Gui Mei歸妹 (54)
Thunder (震) over Lake (兌)
Upper Trigram: ☳ Thunder | Lower Trigram: ☱ Lake