歸妹 → 咸
Hexagram 54: The Marrying Maiden → Hexagram 31: Influence
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 5).
Line 1
初九 歸妹以娣。跛能履。征吉。
Nine at the beginning means: The marrying maiden as a concubine. A lame man who is able to tread. Undertakings bring good fortune.
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.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
文君之德，養仁致福。年无胎夭，國富民實。憂者之望，憎參盜息。
The virtue of Lord Wen nurtures benevolence and brings blessings. No infant dies untimely in the year; the state is rich, the people full. The anxious find their hope; hatred and banditry cease.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder over lake ascends to lake over mountain: the maiden's subordinate position transforms into Influence's mutual responsiveness. The virtue of a cultured lord nurtures benevolence and brings blessings. No infants die young throughout the year; the state grows rich and the people prosper. Those in distress find hope; slander and theft subside. The verse celebrates governance so effective that even mortality rates decline. From the Marrying Maiden to Influence, the lake rests atop the mountain, the youngest daughter above the youngest son, an image of natural attraction and receptivity. Influence works through emptiness and openness, the gentleman receiving others with a hollow heart. The lord's virtue here radiates effortlessly, drawing contentment and loyalty through genuine moral resonance rather than compulsion.
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