Hexagram 54 · 归妹 · Guī Mèi
The Marrying Maiden
- Element:
- Thunder over Lake
- Key themes:
- relationships, commitment, transition, responsibility, harmony
Image
A young maiden entering into marriage, symbolizing transition and commitment.
Overall message
Hexagram 54 symbolizes the transition and commitment involved in relationships. It emphasizes sincerity, responsibility, and creating harmony. Success comes from nurturing and balancing the relationship.
Approach relationships and commitments with sincerity and responsibility. Focus on creating harmony and balance in your interactions.
Classical text (Legge, 1882)
Judgment. Kwei Mei indicates that (under the conditions which it denotes) action will be evil, and in no wise advantageous.
Image. (The trigram representing the waters of) a marsh and over it that for thunder form Kwei Mei. The superior man, in accordance with this, having regard to the far-distant end, knows the mischief (that may be done at the beginning).
From James Legge's translation of the I Ching (Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI, 1882). Public domain.
The six lines
Line 6 · Reflecting on Commitment
The commitment is complete, and it is time to reflect.
Reflect on the journey and plan for the future.
Line 5 · Achieving Harmony
Harmony is achieved, bringing joy and fulfillment.
Celebrate the harmony and continue to nurture the relationship.
Line 4 · Strengthening Bonds
The relationship grows stronger through mutual effort.
Work together to deepen the bond and create harmony.
Line 3 · Facing Challenges
Challenges in the relationship require patience and understanding.
Address difficulties with compassion and communication.
Line 2 · Building Trust
Trust is built through honest and responsible actions.
Focus on creating a strong foundation of trust.
Line 1 · Beginning of Commitment
The journey of commitment begins, but challenges may arise.
Approach the commitment with sincerity and openness.
Related hexagrams
Opposite: If every line of this hexagram were inverted (yang to yin and vice versa), you would have Hexagram 53 · 渐 · Jiàn. This is the hexagram's structural counterpart — the situation it could become if every dynamic flipped.
Nuclear: The hexagram hidden inside this one, built from lines 2-3-4 and 3-4-5, is Hexagram 63 · 既济 · Jì Jì. The nuclear hexagram describes the inner pattern that produced this situation — what is going on underneath.
If only one line of this hexagram changed in your cast, you would arrive at:
- Line 1 changing → Hexagram 40 · 解 · Xiè
- Line 2 changing → Hexagram 51 · 震 · Zhèn
- Line 3 changing → Hexagram 34 · 大壮 · Dà Zhuàng
- Line 4 changing → Hexagram 19 · 临 · Lín
- Line 5 changing → Hexagram 58 · 兑 · Duì
- Line 6 changing → Hexagram 38 · 睽 · Kuí