卦辭對整個卦（六條線為一組）的總體判斷。The judgment on the hexagram as a whole.
Judgment
歸妹：征凶，無攸利。
歸妹卦——前進凶，沒有甚麼利益。少女速歸而失序，無大利。
Gui Mei indicates that (under the conditions which it denotes) action will be evil, and in no wise advantageous.
第 54 卦 · Hexagram 54
歸妹
Gui Mei · The Marrying Maiden (Thunder over Lake)
永終知敝，天地之大義
上上卦upper trigram☳震 · 雷 / Thunder下下卦lower trigram☱兌 · 澤 / Lake
象Image
先看圖像，再讀文字。Read the image before the words.
大象傳《大象傳》從上下卦的自然圖像推演全卦之象，再提出人事取法。The Great Image derives conduct from the two trigrams' natural images.Great Image
- 全卦成象Whole image
澤上有雷，歸妹
(The trigram representing) the waters of a marsh, and above it (that representing) thunder, form Gui Mei.
- 人事取法Conduct
君子以永終知敝。
The superior man, in accordance with this, having regard to the far-distant end, knows the mischief (that may be done at the beginning).
澤上有雷——歸妹之象。君子由此體會：要想到永久的結局、預知所有的弊端。
(The trigram representing) the waters of a marsh, and above it (that representing) thunder, form Gui Mei. The superior man, in accordance with this, having regard to the far-distant end, knows the mischief (that may be done at the beginning).
辭Words
先讀經文，再讀《彖傳》如何解釋卦辭。The received text, then the Tuan commentary on it.
彖傳十翼之一，直接解釋卦名、卦辭及其剛柔結構。Tuan Zhuan — explains the name, the Judgment and the line structure.
Commentary on the Judgment
歸妹，天地之大義也。天地不交，而萬物不興，歸妹人之終始也。說以動，所歸妹也。征凶，位不當也。無攸利，柔乘剛也。
歸妹是天地的大義——天地不交則萬物不興。歸妹是人事之終始（婚姻是人生之大事）。悅而動，是歸妹之象。「征凶」是位不當；「無攸利」是柔乘剛。
By Gui Mei (the marrying away of a younger sister) the great and righteous relation between heaven and earth (is suggested to us). If heaven and earth were to have no intercommunication, things would not grow and flourish as they do.
爻Lines
六條線各有一句判斷。閱讀次序初→上；卦象由下而上，看左側的卦。One statement per line, read from the first line to the top. The figure is drawn bottom-up — watch the rail.
初九
娣
陪嫁能行secondary follow
歸妹以娣，跛能履，征吉。
妹妹陪嫁——跛足之人也能行走，前進吉。低姿態相隨而行。
The first NINE shows the younger sister married off in a position ancillary to the real wife. (It suggests the idea of) a person lame on one leg who yet manages to tramp along. Going forward will be fortunate.
小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.
歸妹以娣，以恆也。跛能履吉，相承也。
以妹妹陪嫁，是恆久之道。跛足而能行的吉，是相承相助。
九二
幽
守隱之貞solitary upright
眇能視，利幽人之貞。
獨眼能視——利於隱者守正。剛得中位但難得志，宜守正。
The second NINE 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.
小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.
利幽人之貞，未變常也。
利於隱者之貞，是未變常道。
六三
須
未當須變wrong, returns
歸妹以須，反歸以娣。
歸妹用須（粗賤者）——返回後以妹妹身份再嫁。陰柔不正，須變姿態。
The third SIX shows the younger sister who was to be married off in a mean position. She returns and accepts an ancillary position.
小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.
歸妹以須，未當也。
以須之歸妹，是位未當。
九四
愆
遲歸有時delay has its time
歸妹愆期，遲歸有時。
歸嫁延期——遲歸有時。剛得位、能等待時機。
The fourth NINE shows the younger sister protracting the time (for her marriage). She may be late in being married, but the time will come.
小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.
愆期之志，有待而行也。
延期之志，是有所等待。
六五
袂
貴而謙noble yet humble
帝乙歸妹，其君之袂，不如其娣之袂良。月幾望，吉。
帝乙嫁妹——其王后的袖子不如妹妹的袖子華麗。月將圓——吉。柔得尊位，反居低處之下。
The fifth SIX reminds us of the marrying of the younger sister of (king) Di-yi, when the embroidered sleeves of the princess were not equal to those of the (still) younger sister who accompanied her in an inferior capacity. (The case symbolised is that of) the moon almost full. There will be good fortune.
小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.
帝乙歸妹，不如其娣之袂良也。其位在中，以貴行也。
帝乙歸妹，王后的袖不如妹妹之袖。其位居中，以貴而行。
上六
虛
禮儀虛無empty ritual
女承筐無實，士刲羊無血，無攸利。
女子捧著空筐，男子殺羊不見血——無所利。歸妹之終，禮儀虛偽，本質已失。
The topmost SIX 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.
小象十翼之一。對爻辭的古典短註。Xiao Xiang — short classical commentary on this line.
上六無實，承虛筐也。
上六無實，是承空筐之象。
用Use
把象套到你的情境，取一個可行的下一步。Apply the image to your situation; take one practical step.
速合·永終·知敝
Hasty union · seeing the end · knowing decay
把象套到你的情境 · Apply the image to your situation
- 初九娣以副位輔助主管做事——前進吉。Support seniors as deputy — auspicious advance.
- 九二幽守隱於本職不躁進——利於正貞。Hold quietly in your role — auspicious for the upright.
- 六三須嘗試錯誤位置後須回歸——退而再尋。Wrong-position attempt — retreat and reseek.
- 九四愆晉升延期——耐心等待時機。Promotion delayed — wait for the right time.
- 六五袂高位之德是不誇耀於下——大吉。Senior virtue: don't outshine subordinates — great fortune.
- 上六虛升至高位但毫無實質作為——無利。High title, no real substance — no advantage.
可行的一步 · Practical move
歸妹卦最大的應用：「永終知敝」+「貴而謙」。所有重大結合（婚姻、合夥、加入組織）前要想最終的結局與弊端。最忌上六「女承筐無實，士刲羊無血」——空有形式無實質。最高境是六五「帝乙歸妹」——貴而能謙。
Gui Mei's deepest applications: 'know the end and its decay' + 'noble yet humble'. Before any major union (marriage, partnership, joining), envision the eventual outcome and possible failures. Worst: line 6's 'empty basket, bloodless lamb' — form without substance. Peak: line 5's 'Di Yi marries off his sister' — noble yet humble.
失手之處 · Failure mode
上六「女承筐無實，士刲羊無血」是現代許多形式婚姻 / 合夥的真實寫照——禮儀齊備而本質已死，無有利處。讀此爻自警：禮儀之要在於有實。
Line 6 'empty basket, bloodless lamb' — modern reality of many ceremonial marriages and partnerships. Form complete, substance dead — no advantage. Ritual's essence is substance.
義理Commentary4
王弼以為歸妹卦的核心在「悅以動」——以悅為動之始，必失於正。卦辭「征凶無攸利」是對「速歸」的警示。讀此卦最該記住「永終知敝」四字——對任何結合之事須想到永遠之果。
Wang Bi takes the core of Gui Mei to be 'moving from delight' — when delight is the starting point of action, correctness is inevitably lost. The Judgment's 'to advance is ominous; nothing is gained' is a warning against the hasty match. What most deserves remembering are the four characters 'see the end, know the flaw' (yong zhong zhi bi 永終知敝) — in any union, think through to its final outcome.
程子強調歸妹之卦是「不正之歸」的警示——陰柔少女而上應於陽剛長男，不合禮序。彼以六五「帝乙歸妹」為主——能於不正之中得貴而謙，是大吉。
Cheng Yi stresses that Gui Mei is a warning about the improper match — the yielding young girl answering upward to the strong eldest son, against the order of the rites. He takes line 5, 'Di Yi gives his younger sister in marriage,' as the master: to remain noble yet humble within an irregular situation is great fortune.
朱子直言：歸妹者，少女歸嫁也。此卦與漸卦相對——漸是禮儀齊備之嫁，歸妹是越禮速歸。學者觀此知：不論吉凶，禮序之有無是大事的根本。
Zhu Xi puts it plainly: Gui Mei is the young girl given in marriage. The hexagram stands opposite Jian — Jian a wedding with the rites complete, Gui Mei a hasty match that skips them. From this the student learns: whatever the fortune, the presence or absence of ritual order is the root of any great undertaking.
歸妹講急著成事的合。與漸卦相對：漸是六禮齊備慢慢走，歸妹省了規矩趕著過門，所以卦辭直斷「征凶，無攸利」。全卦的要領在大象「君子以永終知敝」，合夥也好、嫁娶也好，動手之前先把最後一步想清楚：終在哪裡，敝會出在哪裡。上六「女承筐無實，士刲羊無血」寫的是儀式走完了卻空無一物，形式還在，裡子早沒了。反面之外也有正位：六五「帝乙歸妹」，帝王之妹下嫁，袖子還不如陪嫁的講究，貴而能謙，速合之中就數這個位置站得穩。
Gui Mei is about the union made in a hurry. It sits opposite Jian: Jian walks slowly through all six rites; Gui Mei skips the rules and rushes the wedding — which is why the Judgment rules flatly, 'to advance is ominous; nothing is gained.' The key to the whole hexagram is the Da Xiang: 'the superior man sees the end and knows the flaw.' Partnership or marriage, before you commit, think the last step through: where does this end, and where will the rot show up? The top line, 'the woman holds a basket with nothing in it; the man stabs the sheep and no blood flows,' describes a ceremony carried through around nothing at all — the form still standing, the substance long gone. Beyond the warnings there is one solid position: line 5, 'Di Yi gives his younger sister in marriage.' An emperor's sister marries down, and her sleeves are plainer than her bridesmaid's — noble yet able to be humble. Among all these hasty unions, that is the position that stands firm.
注解Annotation8
歸妹guī mèi
To marry off the younger sister — in ancient practice, a younger sister followed her elder sister into the marriage.
娣dì
The younger sister who accompanies the bride as a secondary wife.
須xū
To wait; also read as a figure for the lowly or common.
愆qiān
To delay, overrun the time; a fault.
袂mèi
Sleeve — here the measure of finery.
刲kuī
To slaughter, cut open — the sacrificial killing of the sheep.
永終yǒng zhōng
To think through to the far-distant end.
敝bì
Flaw, decay — where things will go bad.
歷史Context4
漸歸妹成對·緩急之辨
Jian and Gui Mei — gradual vs hasty
第 53 漸與第 54 歸妹為一對綜+錯卦。漸是禮儀齊備之合，歸妹是越禮速歸。同樣是「歸嫁」，方式不同則吉凶不同。
Hexagram 53 Jian and Hexagram 54 Gui Mei form a pair, each the other's inverse and opposite at once. Jian is the union with all rites complete; Gui Mei the hasty match that skips them. The same act of marrying off — a different manner, and the fortune differs.
「永終知敝」·中國「終始觀」
'Knowing the end and its decay'
大象「君子以永終知敝」是中國深刻的時間觀——做任何事都要想到最終的結局與所有可能的弊端。後世「居安思危」「未雨綢繆」皆與此相應。
The Da Xiang's 'the superior man sees the end and knows the flaw' (yong zhong zhi bi 永終知敝) expresses a deep Chinese view of time — in any undertaking, think through to the final outcome and every possible defect. Later maxims such as 'in security, think of danger' and 'mend the roof before it rains' answer to this.
「帝乙歸妹」·商代王室婚禮典故
'Di Yi marries off his sister' — Shang dynasty royal marriage
六五「帝乙歸妹」是商代著名婚禮——商王帝乙嫁妹於周文王。此爻意在表達「貴而能謙」——王后的袖子不如陪嫁妹妹的華麗，是高位人謙下之德。
Line 5's 'Di Yi gives his younger sister in marriage' refers to a famous Shang-dynasty wedding — King Di Yi marrying his younger sister to King Wen of Zhou. The line's point is 'noble yet able to be humble': the royal bride's sleeves are plainer than those of the younger sister accompanying her — the virtue of a high-placed person who can stand low.
上六「無實無血」·禮儀虛偽之戒
'Empty basket, bloodless lamb' — empty ritual warning
上六「女承筐無實，士刲羊無血」是中國禮儀觀的警示——空有形式而無實質，必無利。後世「禮之本」之辨多與此相應。
The top line's 'the woman holds a basket with nothing in it; the man stabs the sheep and no blood flows' is the standing warning of the Chinese view of ritual — form without substance brings no gain. Later debates on 'the root of ritual' largely answer to this.
練習Practice3
- char-recall
「永終知敝」之意？為何是中國「終始觀」之根？
What does 永終知敝 (yong zhong zhi bi) mean? Why is it the root of the Chinese view of endings?
- parse
為何六五「帝乙歸妹」是貴而能謙的典範？
Why is 'Di Yi marries his sister' a model of noble humility?
- line-read
用上六「女承筐無實」評論一個你看見過「形式齊全本質已失」的事。
Use line 6 to comment on something you've seen with form complete but substance dead.