Hexagram 54, line 4
九四Line 4 of Marrying the Younger Sister
Nine in the fourth place · 歸妹 guī mèi
爻辭 The line text
歸妹愆期，遲歸有時。The fourth line, undivided, shows the younger sister who is to be married off protracting the time. She may be late in being married, but the time will come.
愆期之志，有待而行也。(The purpose in) 'protracting the time' is that, after waiting, the thing may be done (all the better).
In plain words
'The maiden marries past the date; a late marriage has its time.' Line four is yang in a yin place, the first line of Zhen, strong and in no hurry: it has passed the usual age and not married, with no correspondence below (one is also yang) to pull it. This is the opposite of line three — not wanting too much but refusing too little. The small Image makes the delay a purpose, not a misfortune: 愆期之志，有待而行也, the will behind missing the date is to wait and then act. Zhu Xi reads it as the worthy who will not take an unworthy match and is justified by time.
If this line is changing
Being past the expected time is not the same as being too late; if you are waiting because what is on offer is not right, hold out, and let the right time arrive instead of forcing one.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
- It belongs to the upper trigram 震 Zhen (the Arousing) (thunder).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 1: both lines are yang, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
歸妹 Marrying the Younger Sister becomes ䷒ 19 臨 Overseeing
Earth over the lake: looking down from the shore. Yang grows and influence approaches — supreme success now, with a warning that the eighth month brings a turn.
What it becomes19 · 臨 OverseeinglínThe six lines of 歸妹 Marrying the Younger Sister
- 初九Nine at the beginningsecondary wife · lame but walking · service
- 九二Nine in the second placeone-eyed sight · the recluse · unchanged constancy
- 六三Six in the third placewaiting to be taken · the wrong footing · settling for less
- 九四Nine in the fourth placemissing the date · deliberate delay · the right time
- 六五Six in the fifth placeDi Yi's sister · plainer sleeves · moon nearly full
- 上六Six at the topempty basket · bloodless sheep · form without substance
Read 歸妹 Marrying the Younger Sister for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine in the fourth place of hexagram 54, Marrying the Younger Sister, mean?
- 'The maiden marries past the date; a late marriage has its time.' Line four is yang in a yin place, the first line of Zhen, strong and in no hurry: it has passed the usual age and not married, with no correspondence below (one is also yang) to pull it. This is the opposite of line three — not wanting too much but refusing too little. The small Image makes the delay a purpose, not a misfortune: 愆期之志，有待而行也, the will behind missing the date is to wait and then act. Zhu Xi reads it as the worthy who will not take an unworthy match and is justified by time.
- What does hexagram 54 become when line 4 changes?
- Marrying the Younger Sister becomes hexagram 19, 臨 Overseeing: Earth over the lake: looking down from the shore. Yang grows and influence approaches — supreme success now, with a warning that the eighth month brings a turn.
- Is line 4 of Marrying the Younger Sister in its correct place?
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).