歸妹 → 艮
Hexagram 54: The Marrying Maiden → Hexagram 52: Keeping Still Mountain
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 4, 6).
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 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 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
遼遠絕路，客宿多悔。頑囂相聚，生我畏惡。
Distant and far, the road cut off; the traveler lodges in regret. The brash and the loud gather together, breeding in me fear and loathing.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder over lake freezes into doubled mountain: the maiden's restless motion halts before Keeping Still's immovable mass. The road stretches far into desolation; the traveler lodges among strangers and accumulates regret. Unruly and obstinate people gather around, breeding fear and loathing. The verse paints a journey that has gone too far, arriving in hostile territory where the traveler is surrounded by those who wish him harm. From the Marrying Maiden to Keeping Still, twin mountains command absolute cessation of movement. The gentleman thinks without overstepping his position. The verse suggests that the traveler's suffering stems from not stopping in time. Had he recognized the boundary and held still, he would not be trapped among enemies.
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