The Younger Bride
guī mèi · Thunder over LakeAccept the place you hold before you try to change it.
征凶，无攸利。
A young woman goes to marry, but the position is not hers to claim. Pushing forward from here brings trouble, and nothing is gained by it. Know where you actually stand before you act.
The six lines
初九：歸妹以娣，跛能履，征吉。
The younger sister goes along as a secondary bride. Like someone lame who still walks, you can advance modestly, and it goes well.
九二：眇能視，利幽人之貞。
One eye dim, you can still see. Quiet, steady faithfulness suits the person who lives apart from the crowd.
六三：歸妹以須，反歸以娣。
She waits to marry, but the match is not right; she turns back and goes instead as a lesser bride. Know your real standing.
九四：歸妹愆期，遲歸有時。
The bride lets the date pass. A late marriage still has its time; waiting is a choice, not a failure.
六五：帝乙歸妹，其君之袂，不如其娣之袂良，月幾望，吉。
King Di Yi gives his sister in marriage, her sleeves plainer than her attendant's. Worth needs no show. The moon is nearly full; a good sign.
上六：女承筐无實，士刲羊无血，无攸利。
The woman holds a basket with nothing in it; the man cuts the sheep and no blood comes. A rite with no substance leads nowhere.
The I Ching is a tool for reflection. Do not use it as the basis for medical, legal or money decisions.