Hexagram 49 of 64
革 Gé · Molting
上 兌 Lake (Duì) over 下 離 Fire (Lí)
Replace one worn habit.
Judgment
Note on the text: editions differ on the first character of the judgment and of line 2 (巳, 已 or 己). This site follows the Koyonari source text and reads 巳日 in both places.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, judgment. English translation in preparation.
Image
In short: fire within the lake.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, Great Image. Short gloss by Koyonari; full translation in preparation.
Commentary
Gé is fire within the lake: water and fire dwell together, and the old form cannot endure. Gé speaks of replacing a worn-out habit: start by changing one small thing, without overturning the whole scene. Change one thing and the rest adjust on their own; change everything at once, and it will rarely last three days.
Koyonari commentary.
The Six Lines
“Bound fast with yellow oxhide.” Yellow oxhide binds oneself firmly. Gǒng means binding securely. Yellow is the central color; the ox is gentle and yielding. Yellow oxhide thus represents a balanced, yielding approach. At the first line of Gé, the hexagram of change, action is premature. The emphasis is on steadying oneself and avoiding rash reform.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 1. Koyonari translation.
“‘Bind it with yellow oxhide’: nothing can be undertaken.” Initial Nine sits at the very bottom of Gé, humble in position, and the time has not yet come. Fastening securely with yellow oxhide means that at the start, one must exercise restraint and lie low in self-preservation, never acting rashly or undertaking bold measures.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 2. Koyonari translation.
“On the day of Si, then transform it. Advancing brings good fortune: no blame.” Reform is undertaken once the time is ripe (the base text's sì rì is understood as jǐ rì, the reading in the commonly used text). Advancing then brings good fortune, meaning a favorable outcome; no blame means being free of fault. Reform needs to begin at the appropriate time.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 3. Koyonari translation.
“‘Changing on the concluding day’: moving forward brings blessings.” Six in the second place holds the central and correct position of the lower trigram. Waiting until conditions mature before enacting reform, taking action to advance change at this point will surely yield auspicious and admirable results.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 4. Koyonari translation.
“Advancing brings misfortune; perseverance brings danger. When talk of change has been weighed three times, belief arises.” The third line, a nine, is excessively firm and lacks a central position. Hasty advance brings misfortune, an unfavorable outcome. Even keeping to the right course remains dangerous. Proposals for reform must be reviewed repeatedly until three rounds of deliberation reach matching conclusions. Only then is there fú, people's trust, and reform can proceed.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 5. Koyonari translation.
“‘Talk of change has matured three times’: where else should one go?” Nine in the third place has had proposals for reform settled through repeated deliberation. With caution having reached this point, there is nowhere else to turn; the plan is fixed, and no further schemes are needed.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 6. Koyonari translation.
“Remorse disappears. With sincere trust, change the mandate: good fortune.” Regret disappears. With fú, meaning sincerity and the trust it earns, existing government orders can be changed. The judgment is good fortune, meaning a favorable outcome. Here, changing the mandate means changing the old orders and institutions.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 7. Koyonari translation.
“‘Good fortune from changing the mandate’: the aim is trusted.” Nine in the fourth place achieves good fortune through reform because his aims are trusted by those above and below.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 8. Koyonari translation.
“The great person transforms like a tiger; even before divining, belief is present.” The great person is someone of virtue who holds an important position. The reform this person carries out is like a tiger renewing its coat: the markings are vivid, and the results are clearly visible. Even before divination, there is fú, or trust. This shows that the reform has already won people's confidence.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 9. Koyonari translation.
“‘The great person transforms like a tiger’: its markings are brilliant.” Nine in the fifth place occupies the honored seat; the great person’s transformation is like a tiger molting its coat, its patterns resplendent and distinctly prominent.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 10. Koyonari translation.
“The noble person transforms like a leopard; the inferior person changes the face. Advancing brings misfortune; abiding in perseverance brings good fortune.” The noble person's change is like a leopard's markings becoming fresh and vivid: virtue and refinement stand out more clearly. Ordinary people change their outward attitude to comply, which is called the lesser people changing their faces. Reform has reached its closing stage. Further advance brings misfortune, an unfavorable outcome; remaining settled in steadfastness, keeping to the right course, brings good fortune, a favorable outcome.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 11. Koyonari translation.
“‘The noble person transforms like a leopard’: its patterns are fine. ‘The petty person changes the face’: following the ruler.” Top Six marks the completion of reform. The noble person molts like a leopard with fine, dense markings, while the petty person merely changes outward countenance, obediently following the ruler.
Zhouyi, hexagram 49, line 12. Koyonari translation.