歸妹 → 比
Hexagram 54: The Marrying Maiden → Hexagram 8: Holding Together
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 4, 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 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
申酉說服，牛馬休息。君子以安，勞者得懽。
In the hours of Shen and You, persuasion prevails; ox and horse find their rest. The gentleman dwells in peace; the laborer finds his joy.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Thunder over lake meets water over earth: the maiden's turbulent beginning settles into Holding Together's communal rest. In the shen and you hours of late afternoon, work clothes are shed; oxen and horses rest from their labors. The gentleman finds ease, and the weary rejoice. The verse paints an evening of earned repose, the natural conclusion of a day's honest toil. From the Marrying Maiden to Holding Together, the transformation moves from an uneasy alliance to genuine solidarity. Water resting upon earth, the image of Bi, shows communities bonding through shared sustenance. The verse's harvest-evening calm embodies this: when labor is done and burdens lifted, people naturally draw together in mutual comfort.
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