革 → 離
Hexagram 49: Revolution → Hexagram 30: The Clinging Fire
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 2 changing lines (lines 5, 6).
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.
Line 6
上六 君子豹變。小人革面。征凶。居貞吉。
Six at the top means: The superior man changes like a panther. The inferior man molts in the face. Starting brings misfortune. To remain persevering brings good fortune.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
逃頸見足，身困不辱。欲隱避仇，為害所賊。
Fleeing, head hidden but feet exposed; the body is cornered yet not disgraced. Seeking to hide and escape the foe, one is harmed by the very peril pursued.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Fire within the lake doubles into fire upon fire — the Clinging, where brightness attaches to brightness. Hiding the neck exposes the feet; the body is trapped but not dishonored. One wishes to hide and evade an enemy, but harm finds its mark regardless. Double fire means double exposure: there is nowhere to hide when everything is illuminated. The fugitive who conceals one part reveals another — a body that cannot be wholly withdrawn from sight. From Revolution to the Clinging, the transformation warns that after revolution strips away all cover, the attempt to hide in plain light only highlights vulnerability. Fire clings to whatever it touches, and enemies see everything.
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