Hexagram 54 of 64 · King Wen sequence

The Marrying Maiden

归妹 · guī mèi

Above: Thunder
Below: Lake

Thunder above the lake: a union entered on the wrong footing — undertakings that begin in the wrong position end in the wrong position.

Thunder over the lake: The Marrying Maiden is the hexagram of undertakings with a flaw in their foundation — the alliance joined from the wrong footing, where the position was known to be wrong at the start and accepted anyway.

Its counsel is uncomfortable and useful: undertakings that begin wrongly end wrongly, and the text is blunt that a tempestuous beginning (thunder and excitement) does not fix a crooked footing. The discipline is to demand the right position before committing — or to treat the first fixable stumble as the warning it is.

Questions this hexagram asks

What am I entering on a footing I already know is wrong?
Where did excitement substitute for a correct position?
What would demanding the right footing now, actually cost — and save?

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