I Ching · King Wen 49
Hexagram 49: Revolution
䷰ 革 Gé · also called Moulting, Skinning, Radical Change · The Joyous above The Clinging
The moulting of a skin: a necessary, well-timed change that is believed only once it is done.
changetiminglegitimacyrenewalconviction
The meaning of Hexagram 49
Fire below, lake above: fire and water in conflict, each trying to destroy the other, like two daughters who cannot share a house. Revolution describes fundamental change, the kind that cannot be reformed into existence and must be made. The tradition's judgement is careful: on your own day you are believed; supreme success; persistence furthers; remorse disappears. Change of this order is not trusted in advance. It is justified by being the right change at the right time, made by the right person, and it is believed afterwards. The reading says the old form has to go, and it insists on timing, preparation and legitimacy.
The image. Fire in the lake; the wise person sets the calendar in order and makes the seasons clear.
- Advice
- Make the necessary change at the right time, with preparation and legitimacy, and expect to be believed afterwards.
- Warning
- A revolution made too early, too often, or in anger destroys what it meant to renew.
over
Structure: ☲ The Clinging (Fire) below, ☱ The Joyous (Lake) above. Nuclear hexagram 44, Coming to Meet. Every line reversed: 4, Youthful Folly.
Hexagram 49 for love and relationships
Something between you has to change fundamentally, not be patched. Prepare it, time it, and do it for reasons the other person will recognise afterwards even if they do not in advance. Do not revolt in a temper.
Hexagram 49 for career
Radical change: a restructuring, a departure, a new direction that cannot be reached by adjustment. The reading supports it on conditions: the time must be ripe, the case must be sound, and you must be the right person to make it.
Hexagram 49 for money
A fundamental change of approach rather than a tweak. Make it once, deliberately, after preparation; a revolution made twice loses everyone's trust. Expect to be believed only when the results show.
Hexagram 49 for decisions
The decision is for real change, and the reading asks three questions before you make it: is it necessary, is it timely, and are you the one to do it? If all three are yes, decide and do not look back.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
The superior person changes like a panther. The inferior person moults in the face. Starting brings misfortune. To remain persistent brings good fortune.
After the great change, the details: the worthy refine, the petty adjust their expressions. The line warns against pushing further now. The revolution is done; consolidate it.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 13, Fellowship. Read line 6 →
The great person changes like a tiger. Even before questioning the oracle, he is believed.
The leader whose change is so clear in its pattern, like the stripes of a tiger, that it needs no justification. The line describes revolution with complete clarity of purpose, recognised by everyone at once.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 55, Abundance. Read line 5 →
Remorse disappears. People believe him. Changing the form of government brings good fortune.
Change of the most fundamental kind, trusted because the person making it is trusted and the change is clearly right. The line permits even the reordering of the whole structure, on the strength of that trust.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 63, After Completion. Read line 4 →
Going brings misfortune. Persistence brings danger. When talk of revolution has gone round three times, one may commit and be believed.
Neither haste nor rigidity. Change forced through without consensus fails; change refused out of stubbornness is dangerous. The line's measure: when the need has been discussed thoroughly, one may act.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 17, Following. Read line 3 →
When one's own day comes, one may create revolution. Going brings good fortune. No blame.
The moment arrives. The preparation is done, the situation has ripened, and action is now correct. The line's own day is the difference between rebellion and revolution.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 43, Breakthrough. Read line 2 →
Wrapped in the hide of a yellow cow.
Restraint at the start of a time of change. The yellow cow is docility and the mean; wrapping oneself in it means not moving until the moment is right. The line warns against a premature move even when change is certainly coming.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 31, Influence. Read line 1 →
Related hexagrams
Cast your own reading
Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.
Ask the I Ching →Common questions
- What does I Ching Hexagram 49 mean?
- The moulting of a skin: a necessary, well-timed change that is believed only once it is done. Fire below, lake above: fire and water in conflict, each trying to destroy the other, like two daughters who cannot share a house. Revolution describes fundamental change, the kind that cannot be reformed into existence and must be made. The tradition's judgement is careful: on your own day you are believed; supreme success; persistence furthers; remorse disappears. Change of this order is not trusted in advance. It is justified by being the right change at the right time, made by the right person, and it is believed afterwards. The reading says the old form has to go, and it insists on timing, preparation and legitimacy.
- What does Hexagram 49 mean for love?
- Something between you has to change fundamentally, not be patched. Prepare it, time it, and do it for reasons the other person will recognise afterwards even if they do not in advance. Do not revolt in a temper.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 49 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 31, Influence; line 2 gives Hexagram 43, Breakthrough; line 3 gives Hexagram 17, Following; line 4 gives Hexagram 63, After Completion; line 5 gives Hexagram 55, Abundance; line 6 gives Hexagram 13, Fellowship. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 4, Youthful Folly.