Hexagram 54 歸妹 changing to hexagram 41 損
Changing lines (counted from the bottom): 4, 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 4
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.
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 41 損 — judgment
有孚，元吉。无咎，可貞，利有攸往。曷之用？二簋可用享。
In (what is denoted by) Sun, if there be sincerity (in him who employs it), there will be great good fortune:—freedom from error; firmness and correctness that can be maintained; and advantage in every movement that shall be made. In what shall this (sincerity in the exercise of Sun) be employed? (Even) in sacrifice two baskets of grain, (though there be nothing else), may be presented.
The changing lines of hexagram 54
| Line | Chinese | Legge |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | 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. |
| 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.