Hexagram 49 of 64
Revolution革
Fire within the lake. The noble person sets the calendar and makes the seasons clear.
- Upper
- Lake
- Lower
- Fire
- Order
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已日乃孚，元亨。利貞。悔亡。
Judgment: When the day has passed, there is trust. Great success. Steadiness pays. Regret fades.
澤中有火，革；君子以治曆明時。
Image: Fire within the lake. The noble person sets the calendar and makes the seasons clear.
In plain words
The situation: The time for change has come.
What you can do: Change when it is ripe, and win people’s trust.
For culture and reflection only. Our own plain summary, not a translation.
The six lines
- 上六君子豹變，小人革面，征凶，居貞吉。The noble person changes like a leopard, the small person changes their face. Going on brings misfortune. Staying steady and settled brings good fortune.In shortThe big change is done; adjust yourself, stop pushing further, and settle in.
- 九五大人虎變，未占有孚。The great person changes like a tiger. There is trust before any reading.In shortMake a bold, clear change; people already trust you without needing proof.
- 九四悔亡，有孚改命，吉。Regret fades. With trust, changing the mandate brings good fortune.In shortRegret fades; with trust behind you, a real change of course works well.
- 九三征凶，貞厲，革言三就，有孚。Going on brings misfortune. Steadiness brings danger. When talk of change has gone round three times, there is trust.In shortRushing is unwise and standing still is risky; talk the change through until people agree.
- 六二已日乃革之，征吉，无咎。When the day has passed, make the change. Going forward brings good fortune and no fault.In shortOnce the ground is ready, make the change; moving ahead works out.
- 初九鞏用黃牛之革。Bound with the hide of a yellow ox.In shortIt is too early to change; hold firm to what you have for now.
Sources Zhou Yi. English by TaoDial.