Gui Mei 雷澤歸妹
A time when order slips
Hurrying or getting the order wrong is easy. Be careful with a relationship or project started in haste.
What does I Ching hexagram 54 (The Marrying Maiden) mean?
A warning against hasty union that skips the proper order. Impulsive decisions bring regret.
- The Marrying Maiden in love
- Be careful about a hasty decision driven by feeling.
- The Marrying Maiden at work and with money
- Skipping order and procedure creates problems.
- Advice
- Don’t rush on feelings alone.
The judgment and the image
Judgment · The Marrying Maiden
Misfortune“Going forward brings misfortune; nothing is favorable.”
The Image: Thunder over the lake: the marrying maiden. The noble person sees the end in advance and knows what can go wrong.
原文 · 征凶，无攸利。 / 澤上有雷，歸妹；君子以永終知敝。
The six lines of hexagram 54
Lines are read from the bottom up. When you cast a reading and a line is changing, its statement becomes the key message.
Line 1 · 初九
Auspicious“The maiden marries as a junior wife; a lame man can walk; going forward brings good fortune.”
A secondary but real position. Make the best of it.
原文 · 歸妹以娣，跛能履，征吉。
Line 2 · 九二
No blame“A one-eyed man can see; it is fitting for the quiet person to persevere.”
Your view is limited but adequate. Stay quiet and steady.
原文 · 眇能視，利幽人之貞。
Line 3 · 六三
Neutral“The maiden marries while waiting; she returns as a junior wife.”
You jump the gun and have to settle for less. Wait for the right moment.
原文 · 歸妹以須，反歸以娣。
Line 4 · 九四
Neutral“The maiden delays her marriage; a late marriage has its time.”
Waiting is fine. The right match comes late.
原文 · 歸妹愆期，遲歸有時。
Line 5 · 六五
Auspicious“The emperor Yi gives his daughter in marriage; the sleeves of the princess were not as fine as those of the junior wife. The moon is nearly full: good fortune.”
Real nobility doesn’t need showy dress. Quiet modesty is lucky.
原文 · 帝乙歸妹，其君之袂，不如其娣之袂良，月幾望，吉。
Line 6 · 上六
Caution“The woman holds a basket with nothing in it; the man slaughters a sheep without blood; nothing is favorable.”
Empty ceremony. A promise with nothing behind it.
原文 · 女承筐无實，士刲羊无血，无攸利。
Related hexagrams
- Opposite hexagram (every line flipped): 53. Jian (Development)
- Reversed hexagram (turned upside down): 53. Jian (Development)
The classical text is in the public domain; the English translations and readings are our own, for reflection and entertainment.