歸妹 → 需
Hexagram 54: The Marrying Maiden → Hexagram 5: Waiting
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 3, 4, 5).
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.
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
生有聖德，上配太極。皇靈建中，授我以福。
Born with sagely virtue, matched above with the Supreme Ultimate. The imperial spirit establishes the center and bestows upon us blessings.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder over lake ascends to water over heaven: the maiden's earthly union opens onto the cosmic patience of Waiting. One is born with sagely virtue, paired with the Supreme Ultimate itself. The imperial spirit establishes the center and bestows blessings upon the worthy. The verse celebrates a figure of extraordinary moral endowment whose virtue aligns with cosmic principle. From the Marrying Maiden to Waiting, the transformation moves from impetuous commitment to the serene confidence of clouds gathering above heaven. Waiting's counsel is to remain composed before danger, nourishing oneself through feasting and joy while the right moment ripens. Here, sagely virtue does not rush; it waits, sustained by heaven's mandate, until blessing descends of its own accord.
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