蹇 → 革
Hexagram 39: Obstruction → Hexagram 49: Revolution
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 1, 4).
Line 1
初六 往蹇來譽。
Six at the beginning means: Going leads to obstructions, Coming meets with praise.
Line 4
六四 往蹇來連。
Six in the fourth place means: Going leads to obstructions, Coming leads to union.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
折挺舂稷，君不得食。頭痒搔跟，无益於疾。
The pestle breaks while pounding millet; the lord does not get to eat. Scratching the heel when the head itches; it does nothing for the ailment.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water on the mountain frustrates every practical effort. The pestle is broken while pounding millet — the lord cannot eat. One scratches one's heel when the head itches, a proverbial image of misapplied effort that brings no relief. The two images share the same diagnosis: the tools and the methods are wrong for the problem. A broken pestle cannot process grain; scratching the foot cannot cure an itchy scalp. From Obstruction to Revolution, fire burns within the lake as the old order is fundamentally overturned. Revolution demands the right tool at the right time — 'When the day comes, you are believed.' The verse's futility is the pre-revolutionary condition: the existing instruments have failed, and incremental repair is useless. Only a complete change of method — Revolution's radical replacement — can address what patchwork cannot.
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