歸妹 → 渙
Hexagram 54: The Marrying Maiden → Hexagram 59: Dispersion
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 4, 5, 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 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.
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
仲春孟夏，和氣所舍。生我喜福，國无殘賊。
Mid-spring into early summer; where harmonious energy comes to rest. It gives us joyful blessings; the state knows no cruelty or harm.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder over lake disperses into wind over water: the maiden's turbulent bond diffuses into Dispersion's cleansing dissolution. In the second month of spring and the first month of summer, harmonious energy finds its dwelling place. Joy and blessings are born; the state knows neither cruelty nor crime. The verse captures the gentle transition between spring and summer when nature is at its most generous, warmth gathering without excess, life emerging without violence. From the Marrying Maiden to Dispersion, wind blows across water, breaking up frozen rigidity. The ancient kings worshipped the supreme deity and built ancestral temples to unite dispersed loyalties. The verse's seasonal harmony embodies Dispersion's ideal: when blocked energies are released through proper channels, peace and fertility follow naturally.
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