歸妹 → 訟
Hexagram 54: The Marrying Maiden → Hexagram 6: Conflict
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 1, 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 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
右撫琴頭，左手援帶。凶訟不已，相與爭戾，失利而歸。
Right hand caresses the qin's head; left hand tugs the sash. Bitter litigation ceases not; they contend and quarrel with one another, returning home having lost their gain.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder over lake gives way to heaven over water: the maiden's mismatched union devolves into open Conflict. The right hand rests on the qin's headstock while the left clutches a sash, a musician distracted mid-performance, unable to focus. Fierce litigation drags on without resolution; the parties wound each other in mutual spite and return home having lost everything. The image of the divided musician captures the fundamental disharmony: hands that should work in concert pull in opposite directions. From the Marrying Maiden to Conflict, where heaven and water move in contrary directions, the verse embodies the hexagram's warning perfectly. One who enters a dispute without clear purpose squanders both resources and reputation.
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