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Hexagram 49
49 · Gé 革

Revolution

(Molting)
Lake above
·
Fire below
Translated from Richard Wilhelm's German (1924)

Introduction

The hexagram originally means an animal's pelt, which changes through molting in the course of the year. From there the word is carried over to the moltings in the life of the state, the great revolutions that go with a change of government. As in hexagram 38, Opposition, the two trigrams that make up the hexagram are the two younger daughters, Li and Dui. But whereas in that hexagram the elder of the pair is above, so that in essence no more than an opposition of tendencies results, here the younger is above, and the effects work against each other; the forces fight each other like fire and water (the lake), each of which strives to destroy the other. From this comes the idea of revolution.

The Judgment

Revolution. On your own day, people believe you. Great success, favorable through persistence. Regret vanishes.
Political revolutions are an exceedingly grave matter. They may be undertaken only in the utmost emergency, when no other way out remains. This is not a calling for everyone, but only for the one who has the trust of the people, and even for that person only when the time is fulfilled. One must go about it in the right way, so as to make the people glad and, by enlightening them, prevent excesses. Further, one must be wholly free of selfish aims and must truly relieve the people's distress. Only then is there nothing to regret. The times change, and their demands with them. So the seasons change as the year runs its course. So in the year of the world, too, there are springs and autumns of peoples and nations, which call for transformations of society.

The Image

Fire burns in the lake: the image of revolution. So the noble one regulates the calendar and makes the seasons clear.
The fire below and the lake above fight and destroy each other. So in the course of the year, too, a struggle takes place between the light force and the dark, which works itself out in the revolutions of the seasons. Human beings become masters of nature's change when they recognize its regularity and divide the course of time accordingly. This brings order and clarity into the seemingly chaotic change of the seasons, and one can prepare in advance for what the different seasons demand.

The Lines

First line, nine
One is wrapped up in a yellow cow's hide.
One may undertake changes only when there is no other way left. That is why the utmost restraint is needed at first. One must become wholly firm within and hold oneself in check – yellow is the color that belongs to the middle, the cow symbolizes docility – and for the time being undertake nothing; for striking too soon always has bad consequences.
Second line, six
On one's own day one may bring about the revolution. Setting out brings good fortune. No fault.
When one has tried everything to reform conditions, without success, then the need for a revolution arises. But so far-reaching an upheaval must be well prepared. There must be someone at hand who has the ability and the public's trust. To such a person one may then turn. That brings good fortune and is no mistake. At first it is only a matter of one's inner attitude toward the new that must come. One must, as it were, go out to meet it. Only in this way is it prepared.
Third line, nine
Setting out brings misfortune. Persistence brings danger. When word of revolution has gone out three times, then one may turn to it and will be believed.
When change is needed, there are two mistakes to avoid. The first is too hasty and ruthless action, which brings misfortune. The second is overly conservative hesitation, which is dangerous as well. One must not listen to all the talk that calls for changing what exists. But neither may one ignore complaints that are repeated and well founded. When word of change has reached one three times, and one has weighed it well, then one may believe it and act on it. Then one will be believed and will achieve something¹.
1
Compare, in Goethe's "Fairy Tale", the threefold "It is time", before the great revolution sets in.
Fourth line, nine
Regret vanishes. One is believed. Changing the political order brings good fortune.
Radical changes require the necessary authority. There must be inner strength of character as well as an influential position. What one does must correspond to a higher truth, and not arise from arbitrary or small-minded motives; then great good fortune comes of it. If no such inner truth underlies a revolution, it is always harmful and has no success. For in the end people support only those undertakings whose inner justice they sense by instinct.
Fifth line, nine
The great person changes like a tiger. Even before consulting the oracle, they are believed.
A tiger's pelt, with its clearly visible black stripes on a yellow ground, has a distinct pattern that can be seen from far away. So it is with revolutions brought about by a great person: great, clear guiding lines become visible, which everyone can understand. So the great person need not consult the oracle first, for the people come over to them of their own accord.
Top line, six
The noble one changes like a panther. The lowly one molts in the face. Setting out brings misfortune. Remaining persistent brings good fortune.
Once the great questions of principle have been decided, transformations in the details and more exact implementation are still needed. These can be compared with the spots of the panther's pelt, which are likewise distinct but smaller. As a result, a change takes place among the lowly too. They also molt in keeping with the new order. To be sure, this molting does not go deep, but one cannot expect that either. One must be content with what is possible. If one tried to go too far and achieve too much, it would end in unrest and misfortune. For what a great revolution should strive for is clear, settled conditions that let everyone rest content with what is possible at the time.
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