歸妹 → 同人
Hexagram 54: The Marrying Maiden → Hexagram 13: Fellowship
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 5, 6).
Line 2
九二 眇能視。利幽人之貞。
Nine in the second place means: A one-eyed man who is able to see. The perseverance of a solitary man furthers.
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 5
六五 帝乙歸妹。其君之袂。不如其娣之袂良。月幾望吉。
Six in the fifth place means: 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.
Line 6
上六 女承筐无實。士刲羊无血。无攸利。
Six at the top means: 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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
甲乙戊庚，隨時轉行。不失常節，萌芽律屈。咸達出生，各樂其類。
Jia, Yi, Wu, Geng — turning with each season. Never losing the constant rhythm, the buds and sprouts bend and straighten. All reach forth into life, each rejoicing in its kind.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder over lake transforms into heaven over fire: the maiden's subordinate position gives way to Fellowship's grand communion. The Heavenly Stems jia, yi, wu, and geng rotate in due sequence, each following its appointed time. No seasonal rhythm is missed; seeds sprout, musical pitches bend and straighten, and all things emerge to flourish, each rejoicing in its own kind. The verse celebrates cosmic regularity: the calendrical cycle that ensures everything arrives on schedule. From the Marrying Maiden to Fellowship, the transformation elevates a private union into universal solidarity. Heaven and fire share the same upward direction, and the gentleman distinguishes categories to bring order. When each thing follows its nature, fellowship emerges spontaneously.
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