Anonymous (traditionally attributed to King Wen, the Duke of Zhou and Confucius) · Complete work
Hexagram 49 · Gé ䷰
Hexagram 49 · Gé ䷰ of 69. Read it here for reference, or continue through the entire work without leaving the reader.
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革：已日乃孚，元亨。利貞。悔亡。
初九：鞏用黃牛之革。
六二：已日乃革之，征吉，无咎。
九三：征凶，貞厲，革言三就，有孚。
九四：悔亡，有孚改命，吉。
九五：大人虎變，未占有孚。
上六：君子豹變，小人革面，征凶，居貞吉。
彖曰：革，水火相息，二女同居，其志不相得，曰革。已日乃孚；革而信也。文明以說，大亨以正，革而當，其悔乃亡。天地革而四時成，湯武革命，順乎天而應乎人，革之時義大矣哉！
象曰：澤中有火，革；君子以治歷明時。
鞏用黃牛，不可以有為也。
已日革之，行有嘉也。
革言三就，又何之矣。
改命之吉，信志也。
大人虎變，其文炳也。
君子豹變，其文蔚也。小人革面，順以從君也。
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the classical Chinese, passage for passage, covering all 64 hexagrams with their judgments, line statements and attached commentaries, and the remaining Wings (the Great Commentary, the Discussion of the Trigrams, the Sequence and the Contrasts of the Hexagrams), 1,204 passages in all.
Ge (Revolution): When the appointed day has passed, trust comes. Supreme success; steadfastness is favorable. Regret vanishes.
Nine at the beginning: Bound fast with the hide of a yellow ox.
Six in the second place: When the appointed day has passed, make the change. Going forth brings good fortune and no blame.
Nine in the third place: Going forth brings misfortune; steadfastness brings danger. When talk of change has come three times, there is trust.
Nine in the fourth place: Regret vanishes. With sincerity, change the mandate. Good fortune.
Nine in the fifth place: The great person changes like a tiger. Even before divination, there is trust.
Six at the top: The noble person changes like a leopard; the petty person changes his face. Going forth brings misfortune; remaining steadfast brings good fortune.
The Judgment Commentary says: In Ge, water and fire extinguish one another; two women dwell together, but their purposes cannot agree. This is Revolution. “When the appointed day has passed, trust comes”: change is believed. Brightness and clarity joined to joy, great success through uprightness: when change is fitting, regret vanishes. Heaven and earth change and the four seasons take shape. Tang and King Wu changed the mandate, obeying heaven and answering the people. Great indeed is the meaning of Revolution's time!
The Image Commentary says: Fire within the lake: Ge. Thus the noble person sets the calendar in order and makes the seasons clear.
Bound fast with a yellow ox: one cannot yet take action.
Changing when the appointed day has passed: going forth brings what is excellent.
When talk of change has come three times, where else should one go?
The good fortune of changing the mandate comes from trust in the will.
The great person changes like a tiger: his markings shine brightly.
The noble person changes like a leopard: his markings are luxuriant. The petty person changes his face, obediently following his ruler.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from the classical Chinese, covering all 64 hexagrams with their judgments, line statements and attached commentaries, and the remaining Wings (the Great Commentary, the Discussion of the Trigrams, the Sequence and the Contrasts of the Hexagrams), 1,204 passages in all.
Ge (Change): On the appointed day, trust comes. Supreme success. Staying the course is favorable. Regret disappears.
Nine at the beginning: Bind it firmly with the hide of a yellow ox.
Six in the second place: Change it on the appointed day. Setting out brings good fortune and no blame.
Nine in the third place: Setting out brings misfortune. Staying the course is dangerous. When talk of change has been confirmed three times, there is trust.
Nine in the fourth place: Regret disappears. Change the command with sincerity. Good fortune.
Nine in the fifth place: The great person changes like a tiger changing its coat. There is trust even before divination.
Six at the top: The noble person changes like a leopard changing its coat; petty people change their faces. Setting out brings misfortune. Staying at home and staying the course brings good fortune.
The Judgment Commentary says: In Ge (Change), water and fire put each other out. Two women live together but their aims do not agree: this is called change. “On the appointed day, trust comes” means change gains people's trust. With enlightenment and joy, great success comes from what is right. When change is appropriate, regret disappears. Heaven and earth change, producing the four seasons. Tang and King Wu changed the ruling order, following heaven and answering the people. How great is the meaning of change in its proper time!
The Image Commentary says: Fire in the lake: this is Ge (Change). So the noble person orders the calendar and makes the seasons clear.
Binding it firmly with the hide of a yellow ox means one cannot yet take action.
Changing it on the appointed day means going forward brings good results.
When talk of change has been confirmed three times, where else could one go?
The good fortune of changing the command comes from trusting in the aim.
The great person changes like a tiger; his markings shine brightly.
The noble person changes like a leopard; his markings are rich. Petty people change their faces because they comply and follow their ruler.