The judgment is a single clause: it is advantageous that the woman be firm and correct. This hexagram puts its correct line in the second place — the inner, lower centre — and makes the household turn on it. Read past the period detail and the claim is structural: a household holds when its inner centre holds, not when it is managed from outside.

家人之義，各自脩一家之道，不能知家外他人之事也。統而論之，非元亨利君子之貞，故「利女貞」。其正在家內而巳。

正義曰：「家人」者，卦名也。明家內之道，正一家之人，故謂之「家人」。「利女貞」者，既修家內之道，不能知家外他人之事。統而論之，非君子丈夫之正，故但言「利女貞」。

謂二也。　謂五也。家人之義，以內為本，故先說女也。　由內以相成熾也。　家人之道，脩於近小而不妄也。故君子以言必有物而口無擇言，行必有恆而身無擇行。

「《彖》曰」至「男正位乎外」。○正義曰：此因二、五得正以釋「家人」之義，並明女貞之旨。家人之道，必須女主於內，男主於外，然後家道乃立。今此卦六二柔而得位，是女正位乎內也。九五剛而得位，是男正位乎外也。家人「以內為本，故先說女也」。　「男女正」至「天下定矣」。○正義曰：「男女正天地之大義也」者，因正位之言，廣明家人之義乃道均二儀，故曰「天地之大義也」。「家人有嚴君焉父母之謂」者，上明義均天地，此又言道齊邦國。父母一家之主，家人尊事，同於國有嚴君，故曰「家人有嚴君焉父母之謂」也。「父父、子子、兄兄、弟弟、夫夫、婦婦而家道正，正家而天下定矣」者，此歎美正家之功，可以定於天下，申成道齊邦國。既家有嚴君，即父不失父道，乃至婦不失婦道，尊卑有序，上下不失，而後為家道之正。各正其家，無家不正，即天下之治定矣。　正義曰：巽在離外，是風從火出。火出之初，因風方熾。火既炎盛，還復生風。內外相成，有似家人之義。故曰「風自火出家人」也。　正義曰：物，事也。言必有事，即口無擇言。行必有常，即身無擇行。正家之義，修於近小。言之與行，君子樞機。出身加人，發邇化遠，故舉言行以為之誡。言既稱物，而行稱「恒」者，發言立行，皆須合於可常之事，互而相足也。

Restrictions established in the household at the outset. The Xiang gives the reason: the will has not yet altered. Rules laid down before habits form need almost no enforcement, which is why regret disappears here and not later. This line is entirely about timing.

凡教在初而法在始，家瀆而後嚴之，志變而後治之，則「悔」矣。處家人之初，為家人之始，故宜必以「閑有家」，然後「悔亡」也。

正義曰：治家之道，在初即須嚴正，立法防閑。若黷亂之後，方始治之，即有悔矣。初九處家人之初，能防閑有家，乃得「悔亡」，故曰「閑有家，悔亡」也。　正義曰：「志未變也」者，釋在初防閑之義。所以在初防閑其家者，家人志未變黷也。

Taking nothing upon herself, attending at the centre to the food. This is the line the judgment turns on. It does not initiate and shows no ambition; its correctness lies in staying at the centre and doing what is actually in front of it. The Xiang calls it compliant and penetrating — influence that works by being where it belongs.

居內處中，履得其位，以陰應陽，盡婦人之正，義無所必，遂職乎「中饋」，巽順而巳，是以「貞吉」也。

正義曰：六二履中居位，以陰應陽，盡婦人之義也。婦人之道，巽順為常，無所必遂。其所職主，在於家中饋食供祭而已，得婦人之正吉，故曰「無攸遂在中饋貞吉」也。　正義曰：舉爻位也。言「吉」者，明其以柔居中而得正位，故能順以巽而獲吉也。

The household kept with stern severity: regret, danger — and good fortune. Set against it, the wife and children smirking and chattering: in the end, regret. This is the sharpest either/or in the hexagram, and the Yi comes down clearly. Excessive strictness costs something and survives it; the loss of all measure does not.

以陽處陽，剛嚴者也。處下體之極，為一家之長者也。行與其慢，寧過乎恭；家與其瀆，甯過乎嚴。是以家人雖「嗃嗃悔厲」，猶得其道。「婦子嘻嘻」，乃失其節也。

正義曰：「嗃嗃」，嚴酷之意也。「嘻嘻」，喜笑之貌也。九三處下體之上，為一家之主，以陽處陽，行剛嚴之政，故「家人嗃嗃」。雖復嗃嗃傷猛，悔其酷厲，猶保其吉，故曰「悔厲吉」。若縱其婦子慢黷嘻嘻，喜笑而無節，則終有恨辱，故曰「婦子嘻嘻終吝」也。　正義曰：「未失也」者，初雖悔厲，似失於猛，終無慢黷，故曰：「未失也」。「失家節」者，若縱其嘻嘻，初雖歡樂，終失家節也。

Enriching the household — great good fortune. The Xiang says it is compliant, and in its place. This is the line that provides, and it carries the plainest fortune in the hexagram because providing well from the right position has no complication in it.

能以其富順而處位，故「大吉」也。若但能富其家，何足為大吉無體柔居巽，履得其位，明於家道，以近至尊，能富其家也。

正義曰：富謂祿位昌盛也。六四體柔處巽，得位承五，能富其家者也。由其體巽承尊，長保祿位，吉之大者也，故曰「富家大吉」。　正義曰：「順在位」者，所以致大吉，由順承於君而在臣位，故不見黜奪也。

The king’s presence reaching his household; no need for anxiety. The Xiang explains it as love running both ways. Authority at the top of this hexagram does not command the household, it arrives in it — and what holds the household together is affection between the places, not the rank of the one at the top.

假，至也。履正而應，處尊體巽，王至斯道，以有其家者也。居於尊位，而明於家道，則下莫不化矣。父父、子子、兄兄、弟弟、夫夫、婦婦，六親和睦交相愛樂而家道正，「正家而天下定矣」。故「王假有家」，則勿恤而吉。

正義曰：「王假有家」者，假，至也。九五履正而應，處尊體巽，是能以尊貴巽接於物，王至此道，以有其家，故曰「王假有家」也。「勿恤吉」者，居於尊位而明於家道，則在下莫不化之矣，不須憂恤而得吉也，故曰「勿恤吉」也。　正義曰：「交相愛也」者，王既明於家道，天下化之，「六親和睦，交相愛樂」也。

Sincerity, and a bearing that commands respect. The Xiang turns it straight back on the holder: what is meant by commanding respect is applying it to yourself. The last word in a hexagram about ordering others is that the authority has to be self-applied first — and then the ending is good.

處家人之終，居家道之成，「刑于寡妻」，以著於外者也，故曰「有孚」。凡物以猛為本者則患在寡恩，以愛為本者則患在寡威，故家人之道尚威嚴也。家道可終，唯信與威。身得威敬，人亦如之。反之於身，則知施於人也。

正義曰：上九處家人之終，家道大成，「刑于寡妻」，以著於外，信行天下，故曰「有孚」也。威被海內，故曰「威如」。威、信並立，上得終於家道，而吉從之，故曰「有孚威如終吉」也。　正義曰：「反身之謂」者，身得人敬則敬於人，明知身敬於人人亦敬已，反之於身則知施之於人，故曰「反身之謂」也。