| Name | 革 Gé, “Revolution” |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☱ 兑 Lake: openness and exchange |
| Lower trigram | ☲ 离 Fire: clarity and attachment |
The Judgment
已日乃孚。元亨利贞，悔亡。
On the day of completion, there is sincerity. Supreme success. Wise to stay true. Regret vanishes.
Real change has its moment. When it arrives, commit fully. Done right, no regret.
The Image
泽中有火，革；君子以治历明时。
Fire in the lake — Revolution. The wise set the calendar in order and make the seasons clear.
When you change something major, mark the time clearly. Make the new rhythm visible to everyone.
The six lines
If a line changes in your cast, read its text below. Lines are numbered from the bottom.
Line 1 · first (bottom) · Yang
巩用黄牛之革。
Wrapped in the hide of a yellow cow.
Hold still. The change is real but you're not ready to move. Stay bound for now.
Line 2 · second · Yin
己日乃革之，征吉，无咎。
On the day of completion — then revolution. Going on — fortune. No blame.
Wait for the right day. Then move decisively. Timing is everything here.
Line 3 · third · Yang
征凶，贞厉。革言三就，有孚。
Going on — misfortune. Stay true — danger. When talk of revolution has been heard three times — sincerity.
Don't rush the change. Let it be discussed, doubted, returned to — by the third time, you'll know it's real.
Line 4 · fourth · Yang
悔亡，有孚，改命吉。
Regret vanishes. There is sincerity. Changing fate — fortune.
The shift comes from real ground. You changed your own life cleanly. Fortune.
Line 5 · fifth · Yang
大人虎变，未占有孚。
The great person changes like a tiger. Even before divination — there is sincerity.
Top-tier transformation. Visible, clean, decisive. People believe it before you even prove it.
Line 6 · top · Yin
君子豹变，小人革面。征凶，居贞吉。
The noble one changes like a leopard. The small-minded change their faces. Going on — misfortune. To stay where one is — fortune.
Deep change is patterned and beautiful. Petty change is just cosmetic. Don't push for more visible change — settle into the new pattern.
Related hexagrams
- Inverted (turned upside down): Hexagram 50, The Cauldron
- Complement (every line reversed): Hexagram 4, Youthful Folly