The young girl follows the older man, as joy follows movement. Gui Mei is a relationship or position in which you are not on an equal footing, entering as a junior, a second, an outsider. It advises tact and modesty, and warns against forcing your way. It also asks you to consider the end from the beginning: what lasts, and what is only passing infatuation.
Judgment
歸妹：征凶，无攸利。
The marrying younger sister: marching on brings misfortune. Nothing is favorable.
Image
澤上有雷，歸妹；君子以永終知敝。
Thunder over the lake: the marrying younger sister. Taking this as a model, the noble one keeps the long end in view and recognizes what will wear out.
- Unequal position
- Tact and discretion
- Impulsive attraction
- Thinking of the end
- Accepting a subordinate role
- subordination
- tact
- impulse
- modesty
- transience
- relationship
- When your position is weak, act with tact, not force.
- Consider where a beginning will lead.
- Passion without foundation does not last.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Nine at the beginning 初九
Line text
歸妹以娣，跛能履，征吉。
The younger sister marries as a secondary wife. Lame, yet able to walk. Marching on: good fortune.
In a secondary position, you can still do a great deal by working tactfully within your limits.
- Working within limits
- Quiet contribution
- Resenting your position
- Effective work from a modest role
Line 2Nine in the second place 九二
Line text
眇能視，利幽人之貞。
Blind in one eye, yet able to see. Favorable: the steadfastness of a secluded person.
Disappointed by a partner or situation, you remain loyal and quietly true to yourself. Inner steadiness compensates for limited vision.
- Loyalty despite disappointment
- Quiet steadfastness
- Bitterness
- Dignity in quiet faithfulness
Line 3Six in the third place 六三
Line text
歸妹以須，反歸以娣。
The younger sister is married off as a servant; she returns and goes as a secondary wife.
Wanting something too much, you accept a demeaning arrangement. Ask whether the price is worth paying.
- Accepting too little
- Self-respect
- Settling for an arrangement that diminishes you
- Holding out for something worthy
Line 4Nine in the fourth place 九四
Line text
歸妹愆期，遲歸有時。
The younger sister lets the time for marriage pass. Marrying late, there is a proper time.
You wait rather than throw yourself away. The right relationship or opportunity will come in time.
- Waiting for the right match
- Self-respect
- Rushing into something unsuitable
- The right union arriving later
Line 5Six in the fifth place 六五
Line text
帝乙歸妹，其君之袂，不如其娣之袂良，月幾望，吉。
The sovereign Di Yi gives his younger sister in marriage. The bride's sleeves are less fine than her companion's. The moon is almost full. Good fortune.
Someone of high rank enters a lesser position without pride or display. This modesty, like a moon not quite full, brings good fortune.
- Modesty in high station
- Inner worth over display
- Insisting on status
- Respect earned through humility
Line 6Six at the top 上六
Line text
女承筐无實，士刲羊无血，无攸利。
The woman carries a basket with nothing in it; the man cuts the sheep and no blood comes. Nothing is favorable.
Going through the motions of a commitment with no real substance or feeling behind it leads nowhere. Empty forms bring no blessing.
- Empty forms
- Commitment without substance
- Keeping up appearances without commitment
- Recognizing what is hollow
Related hexagrams
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Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
In ancient China, a younger sister often accompanied an elder one into marriage as a secondary wife. Gui Mei uses this image for any situation in which you lack an official or equal standing: a junior role, a relationship that isn't on equal terms, an arrangement made from impulse. The judgment is blunt: pushing forward now won't work.
The image gives depth: understand what is transient in light of how things end. Attractions based on excitement fade; lasting relationships need something more. The lines show how dignity and patience can make the best of a weak position. In relation to a question, Gui Mei may emphasize modesty, patience and asking whether a commitment rests on solid ground.