King's Kung-Fu& Tai Chi

Hexagram 54 歸妹 changing to hexagram 21 噬嗑

guī mèi
→
shì kē

Changing lines (counted from the bottom): 2, 6.

What to read

Two changing lines: read both line texts of the original hexagram; the upper one is the main one. (Rule set out by Zhu Xi in the Yixue qimeng.)

Hexagram 54 歸妹, line 6

女承筐无實,士刲羊无血,无攸利。

The sixth line, divided, shows the young lady bearing the basket, but without anything in it, and the gentleman slaughtering the sheep, but without blood flowing from it. There will be no advantage in any way.

Hexagram 54 歸妹, line 2

眇能視,利幽人之貞。

The second line, undivided, shows her blind of one eye, and yet able to see. There will be advantage in her maintaining the firm correctness of a solitary widow.

The two hexagrams

Hexagram 54 歸妹 — judgment

征凶,无攸利。

Kwei Mei indicates that (under the conditions which it denotes) action will be evil, and in no wise advantageous.

Hexagram 21 噬嗑 — judgment

亨。利用獄。

Shih Ho indicates successful progress (in the condition of things which it supposes). It will be advantageous to use legal constraints.

The changing lines of hexagram 54

LineChineseLegge
2眇能視,利幽人之貞。The second line, undivided, shows her blind of one eye, and yet able to see. There will be advantage in her maintaining the firm correctness of a solitary widow.
6女承筐无實,士刲羊无血,无攸利。The sixth line, divided, shows the young lady bearing the basket, but without anything in it, and the gentleman slaughtering the sheep, but without blood flowing from it. There will be no advantage in any way.

English: James Legge (1882), public domain. Chinese: Zhou Yi.

Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.