Hexagram 54 · Line 5
The Marrying Maiden — 五九
Gui Mei · Wu Jiu
The Line
The sovereign I gives his daughter in marriage. Then the embroidered clothes of the princess were not as splendid as the clothes of the serving-maid. The moon that is almost full brings good fortune.
Interpretation
The sovereign I is T'ang the Completer. He issued a law that the imperial princesses in marriage must likewise be subject to their husbands (compare Number 11, line 5). The emperor does not wait for wooing, but gives his daughter in marriage according to free judgment. Therefore the initiative on the side of the maiden's family is here in order. We see here a maiden of noble descent who marries into modest conditions and knows how to adapt with grace to the new situation. She is free of all vanity of outer adornment, forgets her rank in marriage, and places herself under her husband, as the moon, which is not yet quite full, does not step directly opposite the sun.