革 → 坤
Hexagram 49: Revolution → Hexagram 2: The Receptive
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 4 changing lines (lines 1, 3, 4, 5).
Line 1
初九 鞏用黃牛之革。
Nine at the beginning means: Wrapped in the hide of a yellow cow.
Line 3
九三 征凶貞厲。革言三就。有孚。
Nine in the third place means: Starting brings misfortune. Perseverance brings danger. When talk of revolution has gone the rounds three times, One may commit himself, And men will believe him.
Line 4
九四 悔亡有孚。改命吉。
Nine in the fourth place means: Remorse disappears. Men believe him. Changing the form of government brings good fortune.
Line 5
九五 大人虎變。未占有孚。
Nine in the fifth place means: The great man changes like a tiger. Even before he questions the oracle He is believed.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
一門二關，結緝不便。峻道異路，日暮不到。
One gate, two barriers; bound and knotted, passage is not easy. The steep road diverges; by nightfall, one cannot arrive.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire within the lake gives way to pure earth, receptive and vast. One gate guards two barriers; the knots and fastenings resist smooth passage. The road is steep and the routes diverge — by dusk, the destination remains unreached. Revolution promises renewal, but the Receptive demands patient submission to circumstance. The terrain itself is hostile: barriers doubled, paths confused, daylight failing. From Revolution to the Receptive, the transformation warns that dismantling the old does not guarantee arrival at the new. When the road forks and the light fades, one must yield to conditions rather than press forward blindly into the gathering dark.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store