Fire and water in the same place: one must transform the other. Ge is fundamental change, like an animal shedding its skin. Real transformation needs the right timing, a genuine need, and the trust of others, which comes only gradually. Done well, with clarity about why and when, revolution renews everything and leaves no regret.
Judgment
革：己日乃孚，元亨利貞，悔亡。
Change: when one's day has come, there is trust. Supreme success; steadfastness is favorable. Regret passes.
Image
澤中有火，革；君子以治歷明時。
Fire inside the lake: change. Taking this as a model, the noble one regulates the calendar and makes the times of year plain.
- Fundamental change
- Right timing for change
- Earning trust for change
- Renewal and shedding
- Clarity about cycles
- change
- transformation
- timing
- renewal
- trust
- reform
- Change only when it is truly necessary and the time is ripe.
- People trust change once they see it is right.
- Understand the cycles to time your actions.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Nine at the beginning 初九
Line text
鞏用黃牛之革。
Bound with yellow oxhide.
It's too early for change. Hold yourself in check firmly and wait until conditions are ready.
- Too early for change
- Self-restraint
- Premature action
- Waiting until the time is right
Line 2Six in the second place 六二
Line text
己日乃革之，征吉，无咎。
Once one's day has come, carry out the change. Marching on: good fortune, no blame.
Now the time is right, after due preparation. Proceed with the change; it is justified and will go well.
- The right moment
- Prepared change
- Hesitating when the time has come
- A successful transformation
Line 3Nine in the third place 九三
Line text
征凶，貞厲，革言三就，有孚。
Marching on: misfortune. Steadfastness in danger. When talk of change has come round three times, there is trust.
Avoid both rash action and rigid conservatism. Test the need for change carefully, discussing it more than once. When it is confirmed, act with confidence.
- Testing the case for change
- Avoiding extremes
- Rushing or refusing change unreflectively
- Change that is well grounded
Line 4Nine in the fourth place 九四
Line text
悔亡，有孚改命，吉。
Regret passes. With sincerity, the mandate is changed. Good fortune.
When change rests on genuine conviction and serves the common good, people trust it. Fundamental change can now succeed.
- Trusted change
- Renewal of the order
- Change for selfish reasons
- Deep and welcome transformation
Line 5Nine in the fifth place 九五
Line text
大人虎變，未占有孚。
The great person changes like a tiger. Even before divining, there is trust.
Change led by someone of strong character is so clear and vivid, like a tiger's stripes, that no one doubts it. Its rightness is self-evident.
- Clear, visible change
- Natural authority
- Murky or half-hearted reform
- Change so clear it convinces everyone
Line 6Six at the top 上六
Line text
君子豹變，小人革面，征凶，居貞吉。
The noble one changes like a leopard; small-minded people change their faces. Marching on: misfortune. Staying steadfast: good fortune.
After the great change, refinements follow. Many people adapt only outwardly; accept that. Now is the time to consolidate, not to push further changes.
- Consolidating change
- Accepting partial change in others
- Endless revolution
- Settling into the new order
Related hexagrams
Have a question on your mind?
Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
The character originally means an animal's hide, which changes with the seasons. Fire below the lake: two opposing elements that cannot coexist; something has to give. Ge describes situations where reform is no longer enough and a deeper transformation is needed, in a career, relationship, organization or belief.
The judgment emphasizes timing and trust: change is only accepted once its time has come and its rightness is evident. The image ties revolution to the calendar: understanding the rhythms of time allows change to happen at the right moment. The lines move from waiting, to careful preparation, to decisive transformation, and finally to settling the new order. In relation to a question, Ge may emphasize whether change is truly needed now, and how to bring others along.