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Chapter 49 of 68
易经
The Ge Hexagram symbolizes revolution and renewal 🔥🌊. The image shows Lake (Dui) above and Fire (Li) below — water above and fire below, and when water and fire meet, they inevitably transform each other — water extinguishes fire, fire evaporates water, each prevailing over and giving rise to the other. This is precisely the image of a profound transformation.
The Judgment says: For matters of revolution, one must wait until the Ji Day (the day when conditions are ripe) before one can win people's trust. At this time, there is great success. It is favorable to uphold what is right, and regrets will naturally disappear. Revolution cannot be undertaken at any time; one must await the proper moment. When the moment arrives and trust is established, revolution can succeed.
The Commentary on the Judgment further explains: The image of the Ge Hexagram is fire and water counteracting each other — water and fire mutually restrain and transform one another. It also symbolizes two women dwelling together (Dui is the youngest daughter, Li is the middle daughter) — when two women share a single chamber, their wills cannot align, and the need for change inevitably arises. "Only on the Ji Day can trust be won" means that revolution requires gaining people's confidence. Through civilization (the virtue of Li/fire), one wins willing submission (the virtue of Dui/lake). Such great success lies in upholding what is right. If the revolution is appropriate, regrets will naturally disappear. Heaven and earth undergo constant change, hence the cycle of the four seasons 🌱☀️🍂❄️. Tang the Successful and King Wu of Zhou launched revolutionary movements, conforming to the will of Heaven above and responding to the hearts of the people below — how great is the meaning of the times for revolution!
The Commentary on the Image says: Fire within the lake — this is the image of the Ge Hexagram. The noble person, contemplating this image, understands the need to regulate the calendar and clarify the seasons, grasping the timing and rhythm of transformation.
Initial Nine: Firmly bound with the hide of a yellow ox.
Commentary on the Image: Bound with yellow oxhide — this means one cannot yet take action. At the beginning of a revolution, the time is not yet ripe and strength is insufficient. One should restrain oneself as if bound with tough yellow oxhide, and must not act rashly.
Six in the Second Place: On the Ji Day, one carries out the revolution. Advancing brings good fortune; there is no calamity.
Commentary on the Image: Reforming on the Ji Day, action will surely produce fine results. The yin line in the second place occupies the center and is correct in position, with the corresponding line in the fifth place (Nine in the Fifth). The time is ripe, and action can be taken.
Nine in the Third Place: Rash advance brings danger; holding fast likewise brings danger. The proposals for revolution must be deliberated multiple times before they can win people's trust.
Commentary on the Image: Proposals for revolution deliberated three times — where else need one go? This shows that the revolutionary plan has been fully discussed and there is no further need for hesitation.
Nine in the Fourth Place: Regrets disappear. With trustworthiness, one changes the mandate of Heaven — good fortune.
Commentary on the Image: Changing the mandate of Heaven and attaining good fortune — this is because the will is firm and trustworthy. Nine in the Fourth Place has entered the upper trigram, and the time for revolution is fully ripe. One can push forward without reservation.
Nine in the Fifth Place: The great person transforms like a tiger shedding its fur — appearing entirely renewed. Without need for divination, one wins the trust of all under Heaven.
Commentary on the Image: When the great person transforms like a tiger, the brilliance of its markings is resplendent. Nine in the Fifth Place occupies the honored position of the ruler, leading the revolution with the virtue of centrality and correctness, blazing like tiger stripes so that all under Heaven naturally submit.
Top Six: The noble person transforms like a leopard shedding its fur, gradually manifesting refined patterns; the petty person merely changes his face in outward compliance. At this point, continuing to advance brings danger; dwelling securely and upholding what is right brings good fortune.
Commentary on the Image: The noble person's leopard-like transformation shows patterns gradually growing more refined; the petty person's changing of face is merely submission to the ruler. The revolution has entered its final phase — one should consolidate the achievements and refrain from further major upheaval.
The central teaching of the Ge Hexagram is: Revolution is an inevitable law of cosmic operation, but it must emphasize timing, trustworthiness, and legitimacy. The entire hexagram takes "only on the Ji Day can trust be won" as its guiding principle, emphasizing that the primary condition for revolution is not force, but maturity of timing and winning people's trust. It takes "great success, favorable to uprightness" as its standard of correctness, indicating that the fundamental guarantee of revolution lies in upholding the right path. It cites the "revolutions of Tang and Wu" as exemplars, showing that true revolution must conform to Heaven above and respond to the hearts of the people below.
The six lines present the complete arc of revolution from conception to completion: Initial Nine's self-restraint → Six in the Second's grasping the timing → Nine in the Third's prudent deliberation → Nine in the Fourth's decisive execution → Nine in the Fifth's complete renewal → Top Six's consolidation of achievements. Each line represents an indispensable stage in the revolutionary process.
The Ge Hexagram offers profound practical guidance for contemporary society and personal development:
The concept of timeliness in revolution: The judgment repeatedly emphasizes "only on the Ji Day can trust be won," revealing a profound truth — revolution is not better earlier, nor better later, but most powerful at the right moment. In the business domain, this corresponds to "market timing"; in personal growth, it corresponds to "making changes when you are truly ready."
Trust is the passport to change: "Winning trust" means establishing credibility. In any organizational transformation or institutional reform, if the trust of stakeholders cannot be secured, no matter how perfect the plan, enormous resistance will ensue. This is precisely the core principle of "change management" in modern management theory.
The rhythm of change: Initial Nine's "restrained with yellow oxhide" reminds us that when strength is insufficient, forbearance itself is a strategy; Nine in the Third's "proposals reviewed three times" corresponds to "multi-party hearings" and "full deliberation" in modern decision theory; and Top Six's "dwelling securely brings good fortune" warns us that the consolidation phase after successful change is often more critical than the change itself.
The leader's image in transformation: Nine in the Fifth's "tiger-like transformation of the great person" depicts the role of excellent leaders in change — not incremental adjustment, but a metamorphic rebirth, leveraging one's own transformation to drive board-felt change. This aligns remarkably with "transformational leadership" in modern leadership theory.
In organizational management:
In personal development:
Suggested practical methods:
The Ge Hexagram embodies a profound dialectical view of change:
First, the dialectical unity of change and constancy. The Ge Hexagram and the Ding Hexagram form a sequential pair — abolishing the old and establishing the new. Though Ge appears to emphasize "change," its inner core is precisely "great success, favorable to uprightness" — seeking constancy within change. True revolution does not negate everything, but holds fast to the unchanging correct path within transformation. This is consistent with the three-layer structure of the entire Zhouyi: "change–constancy–simplicity."
Second, the unity of natural change and human transformation. "Heaven and earth undergo change, hence the four seasons complete themselves" reveals the regular revolutions of nature; the "revolutions of Tang and Wu" reveal the institutional transformations of human society. Both share the same logic: change is the regeneration of order, not the destruction of order. The succession of the four seasons is not chaos but order at a higher level; the revolutions of Tang and Wu were not destruction but the restoration of rectitude.
Third, the "time and position" dimensions of change. The shifts in fortune and misfortune across the six lines of the Ge Hexagram profoundly embody the Zhouyi'sview of time and position — the same action taken at different times and in different positions yields entirely different results. For the Initial Nine, restraint is auspicious; for the Third Nine, advancing is dangerous; for the Fifth Nine, radical change brings great fortune; for the Top Six, further advance brings danger. This reminds us: every truth has its boundary of applicability, and every action has its optimal window.
Fourth, endogenous revolution versus external adoption. The "tiger-like transformation" of the Nine in the Fifth Place is a metamorphosis from within — like a tiger shedding its fur, driven by the inner vitality of life itself; the "face-changing" of the petty person in the Top Six is a passive outward conformity imposed from without — merely surface change. True revolution must arise from inner conviction and values; externally forced change is ultimately shallow and short-lived.
| Concept | Relationship with the Ge Hexagram |
|---|---|
| Ding Hexagram (Fire over Wind — The Cauldron) | The inverted hexagram of Ge. After abolishing the old, one establishes the new. Together the two hexagrams form the complete logic of "abolish the old and establish the new" |
| Kui Hexagram (Fire over Lake — Opposition) | Ge's hexagram image is the top-to-bottom inversion of Kui (Ge has Lake above and Fire below, while Kui has Fire above and Lake below). Kui represents estrangement, Ge represents revolution. When estrangement reaches its extreme, revolution follows |
| Ji Day (Ji wei Day) | The sixth of the Heavenly Stems, associated with the element Earth, positioned at the center, symbolizing the time "when conditions are ripe, and one is centered and trustworthy." Some scholars hold that the Ji Day is the day of sacrificial offering, taking the meaning of "sincerity and reverent communion" |
| Revolutions of Tang and Wu | Tang the Successful overthrowing the tyrant Jie of Xia, and King Wu of Zhou overthrowing the tyrant Zhou of Shang. This is the original source of the word 革命 (revolution), whose core meanings are "conforming to Heaven and responding to the people" as the legitimacy of change |
| Regulating the calendar and clarifying the seasons | An important dimension of virtuous self-cultivation in the Zhouyi. By regulating the calendar one understands the rhythm of the Heavenly Way and develops the ability to judge timings with precision |