Hexagram of the Day Sunday, May 24, 2026: #54 The Marrying Maiden (归妹)

For a woman, marriage is called 'returning home' (gui); 'mei' refers to a younger maiden. Dui represents a young maiden following Zhen's eldest son; moreover, its disposition is moving through pleasing, neither of which is correct. Therefore, the hexagram is The Marrying Maiden.

In all the lines of the hexagram from the second to the fifth, none attains Correct Position, and both Three and Five ride upon the firm with yielding lines.

Hence, its divination is that undertaking an expedition brings misfortune, and there is nothing for which it is advantageous.

This explains the name and meaning of the hexagram. Marriage is the consummation of a woman's life; procreation is the beginning of human life. 'Shuo' is pronounced like 'yue' (pleasure). This also explains it in terms of the hexagram's virtues.

Furthermore, it uses the hexagram structure to explain the hexagram statement: intercourse between men and women is originally an upright principle, but only in a hexagram like this does it fail to attain its rectitude.

Thunder stirs, and the lake follows: this is the image of The Marrying Maiden. Observing the impropriety of their union, the noble person understands that their end will suffer decline. Extending this to all affairs and things, none is not like this.

The Marrying Maiden, Order of the Hexagrams: Gradual Progress means advancing; advancing must have that to which it returns, and therefore it is succeeded by The Marrying Maiden.

To advance means one must inevitably arrive somewhere; hence Gradual Progress carries the meaning of returning. The Marrying Maiden thus follows Gradual Progress. 'The Marrying Maiden' means the marrying off of a woman; 'mei' is the appellation for a young maiden.

As a hexagram, Zhen is above and Dui is below; a young maiden follows an eldest son. The male moves and the female pleases, and moving through pleasure means the male pleases the female and the female follows the male.

There are four hexagrams that embody the meaning of male and female coupling: Influence (Wooing), Duration, Gradual Progress, and The Marrying Maiden.

Influence (Wooing) is the mutual resonance of male and female: the male places himself beneath the female, the two qi resonate and respond, resting and taking pleasure; this is the image of affection between male and female resonating.

Duration is constancy: the male is above and the female below; Xun is compliant and moves, and Yin and Yang correspond mutually; this is the constant Dao of dwelling together as husband and wife, singing and following along.

Gradual Progress is the woman marrying and attaining rectitude: the male places himself beneath the female and each attains Correct Position, resting in stillness and gentleness, their advance orderly and gradual; this is coupling of male and female attaining its proper Dao.

The Marrying Maiden is the marrying off of a maiden: the male is above and the female is below, the female follows the male, but it carries the meaning of pleasing a young girl; moving through pleasure and acting on delight, it does not attain rectitude.

Therefore, none of the positions are correct: though the initial line and top line correspond to the positions of Yin and Yang, Yang is below and Yin is above, so they are not in Correct Position either. It stands directly opposite to Gradual Progress.

Influence (Wooing) and Duration are the Dao of husband and wife; Gradual Progress and The Marrying Maiden are the meaning of a maiden's marriage.

Influence (Wooing) and The Marrying Maiden concern the passion of male and female: Influence (Wooing) rests and pleases, while The Marrying Maiden moves out of pleasure; both act through pleasure.

Duration and Gradual Progress concern the righteousness of husband and wife: Duration is gentle compliance and moving, while Gradual Progress is resting and gentle compliance; both act through gentle compliance.

The Dao of male and female and the righteousness of husband and wife are fully contained in these. As a hexagram, The Marrying Maiden has thunder above the lake: thunder rouses and the lake moves in following. Among things that move in following, none is like water.

The male moves above and the female follows him; this is the image of marrying off and following a husband. Zhen is the eldest son, Dui is the youngest maiden; the young maiden follows the eldest son, moving through pleasure, moving and delighting in each other.

What people take pleasure in is the young maiden, hence called 'mei' (younger sister); it is the image of a maiden marrying, and also holds the meaning of an eldest son delighting in a young maiden, hence called The Marrying Maiden.

Moving through pleasure, moving without propriety, brings misfortune; not attaining Correct Position is improper. Undertaking an expedition brings misfortune: any movement brings misfortune.

According to the meaning of the hexagram, not only is it disadvantageous for a maiden's marriage, but there is nowhere one can go that is advantageous.

One Yin and one Yang is called the Dao. The mutual resonance of Yin and Yang and the coupling of male and female are the constant principles of Heaven and Earth. The Marrying Maiden is a woman returning to a man; hence it is called the great righteousness of Heaven and Earth.

The man is above the woman, and Yin follows Yang's movement; thus it is the image of a woman marrying. If Heaven and Earth do not commune, whence could the myriad things be born? A woman marrying a man is the Dao of continuous procreation and renewal.

Only after male and female commune is there birth and reproduction; only after birth and reproduction can the end be inexhaustible. That what came before has an end and what comes after has a beginning, continuing without cease—this is the end and beginning of human life.

Explaining the meaning of The Marrying Maiden through the two trigrams: that male and female resonate with each other, pleasing each other and stirring into action, is the affair of a young maiden; hence moving through pleasure, the one who marries is the young maiden.

The reason why undertaking an expedition brings misfortune is that all the lines are not in Correct Position. When all that one abides in is incorrect, what movement would not bring misfortune? In general, when one moves out of pleasure, how could one fail to lose rectitude?

Not only are the positions incorrect, but there is also the fault of riding upon the firm: both lines Three and Five ride upon the firm. Between men and women there is an order of honor and humble status; between husband and wife there is the ritual of singing and following.

This is constant principle, as in Duration.

If one does not follow the constant and upright Dao, but indulges desires and follows passion, acting solely on pleasure, then husband and wife fall into wanton disorder: the man is dragged by desire and loses his firmness, while the woman becomes habituated to pleasure and forgets her compliance, just like riding upon the firm in The Marrying Maiden.

This is why it is unfortunate and there is nowhere for which it is advantageous.

Now, the coupling of Yin and Yang and the sexual union of male and female are natural principles; yet if one drifts along with desire and does not abide by righteousness and principle, lewdness and depravity will know no bounds, harming the body and ruining virtue—how could that be human principle?

This is why The Marrying Maiden is ominous.

Thunder shakes above, and the lake follows in motion; Yang moves above, and Yin follows in pleasure: this is the image of the female following the male, hence it is The Marrying Maiden.

Observing the image of male and female coupling and continuous procreation, the noble person perpetuates the end and understands that there will be decline. 'Perpetuating the end' means continuous procreation and generational succession, transmitting it forever.

'Understanding decline' means knowing that things inevitably suffer decay and ruin, and preparing the way for continuity. When a woman marries, there is procreation; hence it contains the meaning of perpetuating the end.

Furthermore, the Dao of husband and wife should be eternal and have an enduring end; one must recognize the principle that there will be decay and rupture, and exercise caution and vigilance. Decay means alienation and estrangement.

The Marrying Maiden acts out of pleasure, which differs from Duration's gentle movement and Gradual Progress's resting compliance.

The pleasure of a young girl is a stirring of passion; when passion stirs, rectitude is lost, which is not the upright and enduring Dao of husband and wife, and over time it will inevitably decay. Knowing that it will surely decay, one must reflect on perpetuating the end.

All those under Heaven who turn against each other are unable to perpetuate their end. Not only in the Dao of husband and wife, but in all worldly affairs, there is none that does not have an end and decay, and none that lacks a way to endure and continue.

Observing The Marrying Maiden, one ought to reflect on the admonition to perpetuate the end.

'Mei' is the appellation for a young maiden. Dui represents lesser Yin, and Zhen represents elder Yang. Lesser Yin riding upon elder Yang, pleased to move: this is the image of marrying off a young sister.

When Yin and Yang unite, and the elder and younger commune, this is 'the great righteousness of Heaven and Earth' and the end and beginning of human relationships.

A young maiden communing with an elder man is not something a young maiden rejoices in; yet here she is 'pleased and moves,' so the one who marries must be a younger sister.

Although communing with an elder man, she marries attached as a concubine-attendant; hence she is 'pleased.' Treading in improper places, all lines are not in Correct Position, which explains the meaning of 'undertaking an expedition brings misfortune.'

The positions already being incorrect makes clear that she is not the principal wife; driven by pleasure to move and seek further advancement is the way of seductive depravity, against which it cautions that 'undertaking an expedition brings misfortune.'

To undertake an expedition brings the misfortune of impropriety; to abide at rest brings the perversity of riding upon the firm.

The Marrying Maiden is the Dao of mutually bringing ends and beginnings; hence 'one perpetuates the end and understands decline.'

Rectified Meaning: 'The Marrying Maiden' is the name of the hexagram. For a woman, marriage is called 'gui'; 'gui mei' means marrying off a younger sister. However, the Yijing speaks of marrying a maiden with different designations.

In Peace, Six in the Fifth Place says: 'Di Yi marries off his maiden.' That refers to an elder brother marrying off his younger sister.

Here the hexagram is named The Marrying Maiden because a younger sister follows as a bridal attendant in marriage, which is called 'marrying off a maiden.' Thus the line statement of Nine at the Beginning says, 'The marrying maiden as a concubine-attendant.'

Influence (Wooing) above illustrates the mutual resonance of two youths, and Duration illustrates two elders sustaining each other; now this hexagram has the younger woman sustaining the elder man, which is not an equal match, making clear that the younger sister marries following as an attendant, hence it is called The Marrying Maiden.

In antiquity, when feudal lords married, they took nine women at once; the principal wife and the left and right attendants were accompanied by nieces and younger sisters, hence this hexagram corresponds to that practice.

Not mentioning marrying off nieces is because a maiden sister is of the peer generation, and mentioning the honored encompasses the others. 'Undertaking an expedition brings misfortune; nothing is advantageous' is the admonition of The Marrying Maiden.

'Expedition' means advancing somewhere. When a younger sister marries as an attendant, she is not originally the primary match; she must modestly keep her humble place and serve the first wife.

If a concubine advances to seek special favor, there will be the disastrous failure of rivalry with the consort; hence it says, 'Undertaking an expedition brings misfortune; nothing is advantageous.'

Rectified Meaning: 'The Marrying Maiden is the great righteousness of Heaven and Earth.

If Heaven and Earth do not commune, the myriad things do not flourish'—this cites Heaven and Earth communing and then the myriad things proliferating to attest to and praise the righteousness of The Marrying Maiden.

The reason why, before explaining the hexagram's name, it first cites this proof, is that the meaning of The Marrying Maiden is not what human inclinations desire, and furthermore violates the principle of an equal match.

It was because the sage instituted rituals requiring nieces and younger sisters to follow their aunts and elder sisters as concubine-attendants to broaden the ancestral lineage, mirroring Heaven and Earth where lesser Yin, lesser Yang, elder Yin, and elder Yang mingle their qi to make the myriad things flourish.

'The Marrying Maiden is the end and beginning of human life'—having cited Heaven and Earth's communion above as evidence, this again brings up human affairs where 'the maiden marries' to unite the meaning.

Heaven and Earth unite Yin and Yang to generate life unceasingly; human relations unite elder and younger to keep the ancestral line unbroken. How then could The Marrying Maiden not be 'the great righteousness of Heaven and Earth, the end and beginning of human relations'?

Rectified Meaning: This explains the meaning of The Marrying Maiden based on the two trigrams. For a young maiden to commune with an elder man is not what a young maiden desires; yet here she is 'pleased and moves,' so the one who marries must be a younger sister.

Though communing with an elder man, marrying attached as an attendant is why she is pleased.

Why being attached as an attendant brings pleasure is that, being bound as a bridal attendant, she cannot marry elsewhere; if she were not included to fill the number, she would suffer the anxiety of losing her prospect; thus following as an attendant accords with ritual, being 'pleased and moving.'

'Nothing is advantageous, for the yielding rides upon the firm.' Rectified Meaning: This explains the meaning of 'nothing is advantageous' from Six in the Third Place and Six in the Fifth Place riding upon the firm.

Yang is noble and Yin is humble; when a humble concubine advances to seek extraordinary favor, this is the humble encroaching upon the noble, hence in nothing applied is it advantageous.

Commentary note from 'To undertake an expedition' to 'the perversity of riding upon the firm.'

Rectified Meaning: The Tuan Commentary explains 'undertaking an expedition brings misfortune' by losing position, and explains 'nothing is advantageous' by riding upon the firm; yet Wang Bi's commentary links and cites them together because the General Outline states: 'Setting aside the initial and top lines to discuss the division of positions, Lines Three and Five are each at the top of a trigram; how can they not be called Yang?

Lines Two and Four are each at the bottom of a trigram; how can they not be called Yin? Thus, Two and Four are Yin positions, and Three and Five are Yang positions.'

Yang ought to be above and Yin ought to be below; now Two, Three, Four, and Five all lose their positions, so their momentum naturally results in the yielding riding upon the firm.

It is like concubine-attendants seeking favor: their momentum naturally leads the humble to encroach upon the noble, making clear that the yielding riding upon the firm stems from advancing through losing rectitude.

Rectified Meaning: 'Thunder above the lake' means 'pleased to move.' Hence it says, 'The Marrying Maiden: the noble person perpetuates the end and understands decline.'

'The Marrying Maiden is the Dao of mutually bringing ends and beginnings'; therefore, the noble person models on this to perpetuate and extend the end, knowing there will be the decline of things failing to reach their end.