離 → 革
Hexagram 30: The Clinging Fire → Hexagram 49: Revolution
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 5, 6).
Line 5
六五 出涕沱若。戚嗟若。吉。
Six in the fifth place means: Tears in floods, sighing and lamenting. Good fortune.
Line 6
上九 王用出征。有嘉。折首。獲匪其醜。无咎。
Nine at the top means: The king uses him to march forth and chastise. Then it is best to kill the leaders And take captive the followers. No blame.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
言無要約，不成劵契，殷叔季姬，公孫爭之，強入委禽，不悅子南。
Words without binding promise; no contract is completed. Lord Yin and Lady Shu Ji; the ducal grandson contends for her. Forcing entry to present the betrothal gifts; Master Zinan is displeased.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Doubled fire meets fire within the lake: brilliance fuels revolutionary upheaval. Words lack binding force, no contract is concluded. The Yin clan's younger sister, Lady Ji, becomes the object of a struggle between noble families. One forces his way in with betrothal gifts, displeasing Zi Nan. The verse alludes to marriage disputes among the aristocracy of the Spring and Autumn period, where forcing a betrothal (qiang ru wei qin) against one party's wishes created factional feuds. The phrase 'wei qin' refers to the formal presentation of wild geese as marriage gifts. From The Clinging to Revolution, fire blazes within the lake — the very image of incompatible elements forced into the same vessel. Revolution becomes necessary when agreements are broken and alliances imposed by force rather than consent.
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