A Detailed Inquiry into the Most Auspicious Hexagram Lines in the Zhou Yi: From 'Yuan Ji' to 'Ji Wu Buli'

Chapter 12: Tai Six at the Fifth Place (泰六五): "Emperor Yi Marries Off His Daughter; With Blessings, Supremely Auspicious (Yuan Ji)"

Section 1: Yao Lyric and Basic Interpretation

The yao lyric for Tai (泰) Six at the Fifth Place (泰六五) states:

"Emperor Yi marries off his daughter; with blessings, supremely auspicious (Yuan Ji)." (帝乙归妹，以祉元吉。)

This yao is a Yin line in a Yang position (the fifth place is Yang), thus not in the correct position. However, it is in the center of the upper trigram, achieving centrality.

"Emperor Yi" (帝乙)—King Yi of the late Shang Dynasty. "Marries off his daughter" (归妹)—A daughter getting married. "Gui" (归) refers to a woman leaving home for marriage; "Mei" (妹) refers to a young woman. "With blessings" (以祉)—Taking this as a blessing. "Yuan Ji" (元吉)—Supreme goodness, utmost auspiciousness.

Emperor Yi marrying his daughter to a feudal lord—the daughter of the emperor condescending to marry someone of lower status. In the context of the Tai hexagram's "Heaven and Earth intermingling in peace," this symbolizes the supreme beauty of upper and lower communication and Yin and Yang harmony.

Section 2: The Background of the Tai Hexagram

The Tai hexagram (䷊) is composed of Kun (坤, Earth) above and Qian (乾, Heaven) below. Heaven is below, and Earth is above.

This seems like an inversion—Heaven should be above, and Earth below. Why is the Tai hexagram reversed with Heaven below and Earth above$20

Because Heaven's qi is light and clear and rises; Earth's qi is heavy and turbid and descends. When Heaven is below, Heaven's qi rises; when Earth is above, Earth's qi descends—upper and lower communicate, Yin and Yang harmonize—this is "Tai" (泰), meaning smooth, peaceful.

Conversely, if Heaven is above and Earth is below (Pi hexagram), then Heaven's qi rises and goes far away, and Earth's qi descends and does not reach—upper and lower are blocked, Yin and Yang are separated—this is "Pi" (否), meaning blocked, not communicating.

The Tuan Zhuan for the Tai hexagram states:

"Tai. The small goes, the great comes; auspiciousness and smooth progress. This is when Heaven and Earth interact and the myriad things communicate; when the upper and lower interact and their aspirations are the same." (泰，小往大来，吉亨。则是天地交而万物通也，上下交而其志同也。)

"Heaven and Earth interact and the myriad things communicate" (天地交而万物通)—Heaven and Earth interact, and all things communicate. "The upper and lower interact and their aspirations are the same" (上下交而其志同)—The ruler and ministers communicate sincerely, and their aspirations are the same. This represents the utmost goodness and beauty of governance.

Six at the Fifth Place, residing in the honored position of the Tai hexagram, uses its Yin and soft nature (Emperor Yi's daughter) to marry the firm and correct Nine at the Second Place (lower trigram Qian)—this precisely embodies the interaction of upper and lower. The honored condescends to descend, the lowly ascends, Yin and Yang harmonize—hence, "Yuan Ji."

Section 3: Historical Context of "Emperor Yi Marries Off His Daughter"

"Emperor Yi" was a ruler at the end of the Shang Dynasty, the father of King Zhou. According to pre-Qin records, Emperor Yi married his daughter to King Wen of Zhou, who was then a feudal lord. This was a major event in the history of the Yin-Zhou relationship.

Emperor Yi, as the Son of Heaven, married his daughter to the feudal lord King Wen of Zhou. This in itself was an act of "the honored condescending to humility"—the daughter of the Son of Heaven marrying a feudal lord broke down the barriers of hierarchical status and achieved communication between the upper and lower levels.

This historical event is recorded in the yao lyric for Tai Six at the Fifth Place precisely because it perfectly embodies the spirit of interaction between the upper and lower levels in the Tai hexagram.

Section 4: The Profound Meaning of Tai Six at the Fifth Place

The profound meaning of Tai Six at the Fifth Place ("Emperor Yi marries off his daughter; with blessings, supremely auspicious Yuan Ji") lies in:

True auspiciousness (Yuan Ji) comes from the voluntary letting go of one's honor by the honored.

Emperor Yi was the Son of Heaven, supremely honored. Yet, he was willing to marry his daughter to a feudal lord of lower status—this was an act of self-diminishment, of letting go of his own status. Precisely because of this self-diminishment, the communication between the upper and lower levels and the harmony of Yin and Yang were achieved—this is the fundamental reason why the Tai hexagram is "Tai."

This aligns with the spirit of Sun Six at the Fifth Place ("self-diminishing leads to heavenly benefit") and is completely consistent with the spirit of the Qian hexagram ("Heaven's Way benefits the humble").

The utmost auspiciousness lies in the ability to let go of one's honor and harmonize with others—this is the great meaning of the Zhouyi.