Hexagram 54 歸妹 changing to hexagram 60 節
Changing lines (counted from the bottom): 4, 5.
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 5
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) Ti-yi, 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.
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 60 節 — judgment
亨。苦節不可貞。
Kieh. intimates that (under its conditions) there will be progress and attainment. (But) if the regulations (which it prescribes) be severe and difficult, they cannot be permanent.
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. |
| 5 | 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) Ti-yi, 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. |
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.