艮 → 歸妹
Hexagram 52: Keeping Still Mountain → Hexagram 54: The Marrying Maiden
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 6).
Line 1
初六 艮其趾。无咎。利永貞。
Six at the beginning means: Keeping his toes still. No blame. Continued perseverance furthers.
Line 2
六二 艮其腓。不拯其隨。其心不快。
Six in the second place means: Keeping his calves still. He cannot rescue him whom he follows. His heart is not glad.
Line 3
九三 艮其限。列其夤。厲熏心。
Nine in the third place means: Keeping his hips still. Making his sacrum stiff. Dangerous. The heart suffocates.
Line 4
六四 艮其身。无咎。
Six in the fourth place means: Keeping his trunk still. No blame.
Line 6
上九 敦艮吉。
Nine at the top means: Noblehearted keeping still. Good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
八材既登，以成股肱。厖降庭堅，國无災凶。
The eight talents have all ascended, becoming arms and legs of state. Pang and Jian descend to the court; the realm is free of calamity and misfortune.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Twin mountains stand still as the eight materials are assembled and shaped into the pillars of governance. Pang and Tingjian descend to serve, and the state knows neither disaster nor misfortune. The 'eight materials' (八材) likely refer to eight categories of talent or resource needed for sound governance. 'Pang' (厖) and 'Tingjian' (庭堅) may allude to Zhuanxu's descendants, ministers of legendary virtue in the era of Shun and Yu — Pang Jiang and Tingjian were among the 'Eight Worthies' (八元) said to have assisted in ordering the realm. From Keeping Still to the Marrying Maiden, mountain yields to thunder above the lake. The Marrying Maiden concerns proper alignment in subordinate relationships. The verse suggests that when the right people are placed in the right roles, even an inherently delicate arrangement produces stability.
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