Hexagram 54 Line 6: 上六
Gui Mei —歸妹 —The Marrying Maiden
Classical Chinese Text
上六 女承筐无實。士刲羊无血。无攸利。
女承筐无實。士刲羊无血
Line Commentary
The woman holds the basket, but there are no fruits in it. The man stabs the sheep, but no blood flows. Nothing that acts to further. The ritual is only superficially fulfilled—an empty basket, a sheep already dead. Solely to preserve forms. This impious, irreverent attitude bodes no good for a marriage.
Commentary
The woman holds the basket, but there are no fruits in it. The man stabs the sheep, but no blood flows. Nothing that acts to further. The ritual is only superficially fulfilled—an empty basket, a sheep already dead, killed only to preserve forms. This impious, irreverent attitude bodes no good for a marriage. When ceremony becomes hollow, nothing real can grow.
When This Line Changes
If Line 6 changes, Hexagram 54 Gui Mei (The Marrying Maiden) transforms into Hexagram 38 Kui (Opposition).
Parent Hexagram
Thunder (震) over Lake (兌)
Upper Trigram: ☳ Thunder | Lower Trigram: ☱ Lake