GuiMei :: A Girl Is Married

Unfavorable for expedition : nothing favorable

歸妺

䷵

6 :: first

A girl becomes a second wife. Though lame, she makes progress. Auspicious.

An outcast finds a home. Being in a subordinate position (due to age and/or handicap) can be a blessing. An outsider is welcomed into a caring household.

9 :: second

Dim of eye. Seclusion is favorable.

Using solitude, personal discipline, and self-sacrifice you avoid calamity. Prog-ress, power, and good judgment are found through self-reflection (dim eye) and retreat. In this case, the appropriate place is not at the forefront.

6 :: third

Girl offered as handmaiden becomes a bride. Auspicious.

Taking a subordinate position has lead to a surprise promotion. False humility has brought advance, but hypocrisy ultimately ruins the benefit. The motives in this situation are selfish, shortsighted, and easily reversed. Be wary of such progress.

9 :: fourth

Marriage is postponed. Waiting for the allotted time.

Potential partners are not free of their previous commitments. When you are unable to act, postponement is appropriate. Things are upside down and should not be pushed forward. The situation is not yet fully matured.

9 :: fifth

King Yi¹ offers his younger sister in marriage.
The bride is not dressed as beautifully as her younger sisters.
Auspicious near the full moon.

A subordinate draws attention from a superior in an inappropriate way. The situation is full of surprise and instability. Decline is imminent because ambition and/or lust have eclipsed good judgment.

6 :: top

The bride has an empty dowry basket. The groom makes a bloodless sacrifice.
Nothing is of benefit.

Selfish and indulgent conduct on all sides obstructs success. Fickle emotions overrule good sense. Realism suddenly returns to throw a harsh light on seduction and fantasy--all is lost.

Image

Guimet is about disorder brought about by an inappropriate seduction. When conventions are broken for the wrong reasons (lust, greed, desire) plans do not come to fruition. The image is of a girl who lacks modesty and self-sacrifice and, though she experiences momentary success, she is ultimately unsuccess-ful. Guimei also contains the image of a man who loses his ability and right to lead due to sexual obsession and lust.

Auspices

Things are auspicious for the underdog, but early success collapses. The situation is touch and go. Things can end up okay if some sacrifices are made.

Good for self-sacrifice, seduction, undermining others, and deceit.

Bad for marriage, leadership, and partnerships.

Comment

Read at face value there is misogyny in this image, but the real story is about the sexual machinations of people (both men and women) in power or seeking power. Sexual attraction adds strength to a personal bond but should not be the basis.

Guimei is based on the practical marriage custom of sororal polygamy, a custom of sending more than one sister (or ladies-in-waiting) to "marry" a single husband. The first or oldest sister expects to be the main wife; the others are secondary wives or concubines. In Guimei situations it is a younger sister who receives the husband's sexual attentions. This disrupts order and leads to misfortune.

It is not that the authors think breaking convention always brings misfor-tune-this would be an overstatement. Instead, we are warned that such breaks should be done for good and just reasons, and not merely for the satisfaction of personal or sexual desires. Social conventions, in the Zhou, were believed to produce general benefit not just personal gratification. A little bit of self-sacri-fice, on all sides, keeps the boat of society floating.

Other Correspondences

Business: Maintaining administrative procedures, hare-brained schemes.

Disharmonies: Infectious and venereal diseases, substance abuse, and yin deficiency.

Prognosis: Poor. The patient's initial improvement suddenly reverses.