I Ching · King Wen 49 of 64
Hexagram 49 — Revolution (Gé)
- change
- molting
- credibility
Lake (joy and openness) over Fire (clarity and clinging)
Meaning
Fire in the lake: radical change is due. Revolution succeeds when timing is ripe, aims are just, and trust has been earned.
Fire inside the lake: two elements that must destroy each other's current form — revolution not as preference but as physics. The hexagram's timing discipline is exact: the text says you are believed only on the day of completion — legitimacy is earned by results, not promised in manifestos.
Love & Relationships
The relationship must molt its old skin; transform it together, deliberately. The relationship's old operating agreement has expired; renegotiate it deliberately rather than letting it die by a thousand irritations. Molting is survival, not betrayal.
Career & Work
Reform boldly once support is secured; announce changes clearly. Sequence the reform: secure the coalition first, announce clearly, execute completely, and stop — revolutions that keep revolving devour their own gains. Change made in the pattern of the seasons meets least resistance.
Advice
Change like the seasons—only when necessary, then thoroughly and credibly. Hold this counsel lightly but seriously: the I Ching describes the shape of the moment, and Revolution rewards those who move with that shape rather than against it.
Changing Lines
Changing lines in Revolution are its timetable — bound in yellow ox-hide while the hour is early, moving when the day comes, the great man's tiger transformation whose stripes are visible to all, and the superior man's panther change at the finish while lesser men molt only their faces. A moving line tells you where in the revolution's clock you stand.
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Frequently asked questions
- What does Hexagram 49 mean?
- Hexagram 49, Revolution (Gé), is the hexagram of change, molting, credibility: Fire in the lake: radical change is due.
- What does Hexagram 49 mean for love?
- In love readings, Revolution counsels: The relationship must molt its old skin; transform it together, deliberately. The relationship's old operating agreement has expired; renegotiate it deliberately rather than letting it die by a thousand irritations. Molting is survival, not betrayal.
- Is Hexagram 49 a good hexagram?
- In the I Ching no hexagram is simply good or bad — each describes a moment in time and how to meet it well. Revolution centers on change and molting, and its outcome depends on following its counsel: Change like the seasons—only when necessary, then thoroughly and credibly. Read as guidance rather than a verdict, it points the way to the best available outcome.