歸妹 → 萃
Hexagram 54: The Marrying Maiden → Hexagram 45: Gathering Together
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 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 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
三足无頭，弗知所之。心強睛傷。莫使為明，不見月光。
Three legs, no head; not knowing where to go. The mind is stubborn, the eyes are hurt. Do not make it see; it cannot perceive the moonlight.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder over lake descends into lake over earth: the maiden's disordered union encounters Gathering's attempt at assembly. A three-legged creature without a head does not know where to go. The heart is strong but the eyes are injured. It should not claim to see clearly, for it cannot even perceive moonlight. The verse presents a grotesque image of blind determination: vigor without direction, willpower without perception. From the Marrying Maiden to Gathering, the lake pools upon earth as communities congregate. Gathering demands preparation for the unexpected, removing weapons and guarding against contingencies. But the headless figure cannot prepare because it cannot see. The verse warns that gathering without vision produces only a mob, not a community.
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