歸妹 → 泰
Hexagram 54: The Marrying Maiden → Hexagram 11: Peace
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 3, 4).
Line 3
六三 歸妹以須。反歸以娣。
Six in the third place means: The marrying maiden as a slave. She marries as a concubine.
Line 4
九四 歸妹愆期。遲歸有時。
Nine in the fourth place means: The marrying maiden draws out the allotted time. A late marriage comes in due course.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
外得好畜，相與嫁娶。仁賢集聚，諮詢厥事。傾奪我城，使家不寧。
Fine livestock gained abroad; families joined in marriage. The benevolent and worthy gather to deliberate on these affairs. They seize and topple our city, leaving the household without peace.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder over lake opens into earth over heaven: the maiden's union encounters Peace, where heaven and earth communicate freely. Fine livestock are acquired; marriages are celebrated. The benevolent and worthy gather to deliberate on affairs of state. Yet the verse pivots sharply: invaders topple the city walls, and the household knows no peace. This captures Tai's inherent instability, prosperity that invites predation. From the Marrying Maiden to Peace, the transformation promises harmonious exchange between above and below, but the verse warns that openness creates vulnerability. The very gathering of talent and wealth that defines peace also attracts those who would seize it by force.
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