Hexagram 54, line 5
六五Line 5 of Marrying the Younger Sister
Six in the fifth place · 歸妹 guī mèi
爻辭 The line text
帝乙歸妹，其君之袂，不如其娣之袂良，月幾望，吉。The fifth line, divided, reminds us of the marrying of the younger sister of (king) Tî-yî, when the sleeves of her the princess were not equal to those of the (still) younger sister who accompanied her in an inferior capacity. (The case suggests the thought of) the moon almost full. There will be good fortune.
帝乙歸妹，不如其娣之袂良也。其位在中，以貴行也。'The sleeves of the younger sister of (king) Tî-yî, when she was married away, were not equal to those of her (half-) sister, who accompanied her:'—such was her noble character, indicated by the central position of the line.
In plain words
'Di Yi gives his younger sister in marriage; the princess's sleeves are not as fine as her attendant's; the moon is nearly full; auspicious.' Line five is the ruler, yin and central in the upper trigram, a royal bride marrying downward to the strong line at two. Her sleeves are plainer than her companion's: she does not display her rank. The small Image says she acts 以貴行, nobly, from her central place. The moon nearly full is the yin line at its best — just short of the fullness that would turn to waning. This is the one line that makes an unequal marriage honourable: by the higher party not insisting on being higher.
If this line is changing
If you are the one with more standing in this arrangement, wear the plainer sleeves; the relationship works when your rank is something you have rather than something you show, and you stop just short of full.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin 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 is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
- It belongs to the upper trigram 震 Zhen (the Arousing) (thunder).
- It corresponds (應) with line 2: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
歸妹 Marrying the Younger Sister becomes ䷹ 58 兌 Pleasure (Lake)
Lake upon lake: joy. Success through correctness — inner firmness, outer gentleness; friends discussing and practising together, a joy that makes people forget their toil.
What it becomes58 · 兌 Pleasure (Lake)duìThe 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 Six in the fifth place of hexagram 54, Marrying the Younger Sister, mean?
- 'Di Yi gives his younger sister in marriage; the princess's sleeves are not as fine as her attendant's; the moon is nearly full; auspicious.' Line five is the ruler, yin and central in the upper trigram, a royal bride marrying downward to the strong line at two. Her sleeves are plainer than her companion's: she does not display her rank. The small Image says she acts 以貴行, nobly, from her central place. The moon nearly full is the yin line at its best — just short of the fullness that would turn to waning. This is the one line that makes an unequal marriage honourable: by the higher party not insisting on being higher.
- What does hexagram 54 become when line 5 changes?
- Marrying the Younger Sister becomes hexagram 58, 兌 Pleasure (Lake): Lake upon lake: joy. Success through correctness — inner firmness, outer gentleness; friends discussing and practising together, a joy that makes people forget their toil.
- Is line 5 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. It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).