54 - The Marrying Maiden

Contemporary Interpretation

54 - The Marrying Maiden

Clear your mind.
And then break loose.

Sigh deeply. Let go.
[Yes, yes, there is
This restlessness in your heart...
An impulse to jump.
But still, try to let go of
Exactly this (joyous?)]
Anxiety for just one moment.
And then, internally strengthened,
Break loose
Clear-mindedly.

Follow the Path of the Dao: A Western Approximation

The Hexagram's Inner Trigrams

yin yin yang yin yang yang

Upper Trigram: Zhen, Thunder

2nd Core Character: Kan, Water

1st Core Character: Li, Fire

Lower Trigram: Dui, Lake

The Hexagram's Inner Trigrams in the Context of Yin and Yang

The hexagram's inner trigrams within the fields of Yin and Yang

Changes and Impulses

Additional Resources

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The marrying maiden (54) shows the end of being a maiden.

The image

Above the lake is thunder: the image of the marrying maiden. Thus the superior man understands impermanence through contemplating the eternity of the end.

The judgement

The marrying maiden. Undertakings bring misfortune. Nothing furthers. Full text of Richard Wilhelm's 1924 translation by Cary F. Baynes