Hexagram 54
雷泽归妹
Marrying Maiden
Hexagram 54, Gui Mei (Marrying Maiden), is Thunder over Lake - the restless force of thunder disturbing the calm water below.
Upper Trigram
☳
震 (木)
Lower Trigram
☱
兑 (金)
Palace
兑 Palace
Shi / Ying Lines
Shi: Line 3 · Ying: Line 6
The 震 trigram (木) sits above the 兑 trigram (金), forming 雷泽归妹. This hexagram belongs to the 兑 Palace.
Judgment (卦辞)
The Marrying Maiden. Undertakings bring misfortune.
Judgment text follows the Wilhelm–Baynes translation (The I Ching or Book of Changes, Princeton University Press), quoted for commentary.
Image (象辞)
Thunder over the lake: the image of the Marrying Maiden.
Line Texts (爻辞)
The marrying maiden as a concubine. A lame man treads. (归妹以娣)
A one-eyed man who is able to see. (眇能视)
The marrying maiden as a slave. (归妹以须)
The marrying maiden draws out the time. (归妹愆期)
The sovereign gave his daughter in marriage. (帝乙归妹)
The woman holds the basket, but no fruits. (女承筐无实)
Hexagram 54 in Love & Relationships
Relationships: If a bond begins with one side subordinate or the timing wrong, pause. Form and intention set the course.
Hexagram 54 in Career & Decisions
Career: Do not enter a partnership or role for the wrong reasons. A beginning built on impulse is hard to redeem.
Hexagram 54 as a yes / no answer
Leans no
The hexagram's core image counsels restraint — forcing now works against you.
The I Ching reads situations, not fixed outcomes — your reading can weigh the moving lines with this leaning.
In-Depth Analysis[+]
Hexagram 54, Gui Mei (Marrying Maiden), is Thunder over Lake - the restless force of thunder disturbing the calm water below. The name refers to a maiden entering a union not as an equal but as a subordinate, driven by desire rather than proper form. The judgment is blunt: undertakings bring misfortune. The lines trace the maiden as concubine, as slave, the empty basket with no fruit - imagery of a relationship begun on impulse that cannot bear fruit. Gui Mei teaches that beginnings matter: a union entered for the wrong reasons, in the wrong order, is hard to set right afterward.
Historical Stories[+]
The marriage of Cleopatra and Mark Antony, entered from passion and politics rather than legitimate foundation, ended in ruin for both - the 'marrying maiden' whose union bore no lasting fruit.
Many a startup founded on an impulse and an unbalanced partnership, collapsing when the honeymoon ended and the empty basket could not be filled.
Practical Applications[+]
Career: Do not enter a partnership or role for the wrong reasons. A beginning built on impulse is hard to redeem.
Relationships: If a bond begins with one side subordinate or the timing wrong, pause. Form and intention set the course.
Personal Growth: Examine your motivations before committing. Desire alone does not sustain what it starts.
Classical Sources for Hexagram 54
易隐 (The Hidden Changes)清 (Qing Dynasty, 1644–1912)
Advanced analytical frameworks for hexagram interpretation: Flying/Hidden lines, Six Animals contextual dynamics, and inter-hexagram comparison logic.
Related Hexagrams
Learn More
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Ask the I Ching about Hexagram 54