54. The Marrying Maiden

Judgment

归妹：征凶，无攸利。

Undertakings bring misfortune. Nothing that would further. A relationship begun on the wrong footing brings endless trouble.

Image

泽上有雷，归妹；君子以永终知敝。

Thunder over the lake: the image of the marrying maiden. The noble person understands the transitory in the light of the eternity of the end—foreseeing the flaws at the start.

Lines

1. Line 1, yang (nine)

   初九：归妹以娣，跛能履，征吉。

   The marrying maiden as a concubine. A lame man who is able to tread. Undertakings bring good fortune. Accept the secondary role and still achieve.

2. Line 2, yang (nine)

   九二：眇能视，利幽人之贞。

   A one-eyed man who is able to see. The perseverance of a solitary person furthers. Keep independence and integrity in a non-ideal relationship.

3. Line 3, yin (six)

   六三：归妹以须，反归以娣。

   The marrying maiden as a slave. She marries as a concubine. Haste leads to demotion.

4. Line 4, yang (nine)

   九四：归妹愆期，迟归有时。

   The marrying maiden draws out the allotted time. A late marriage comes in due course. Wait for better terms; don't settle.

5. Line 5, yin (six)

   六五：帝乙归妹，其君之袂，不如其娣之袂良，月几望，吉。

   The sovereign gave his daughter in marriage. The embroidered garments of the princess were not as gorgeous as those of the servingmaid. The moon that is nearly full brings good fortune. Substance over display; modesty brings blessing.

6. Line 6, yin (six)

   上六：女承筐无实，士刲羊无血，无攸利。

   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. Form without substance has no future.

In the enterprise

The hexagram of subordinate positions, unequal partnerships and the 'beginning' of relationships: minority stakes, the acquired party, suppliers to large customers, franchise systems, marriage-like alliances. 'Understand the end at the beginning': every partnership should define its ending and exit at the start.

Psychological lens

Resonates with self-esteem maintenance in unequal power relations and satisfaction theory; the Image anticipates Gary Klein's pre-mortem.

Related hexagrams

Situations in the library that use this hexagram

• Strategic planning as empty ritual Enterprise, Line 6, yin (six)
• Acquiring a long-coveted company Enterprise, Judgment
• Being the weaker joint-venture partner Enterprise, Line 1, yang (nine)
• Dependence on one big customer Enterprise, Line 2, yang (nine)
• Controls that exist only on paper Enterprise, Line 6, yin (six)
• Parents pressing you to marry Individuals, Line 4, yang (nine)
• Joint or separate accounts? Individuals, Judgment

Situation readings are a reflective framework for discussion—not predictions and not a substitute for professional advice.