革 → 渙

Commentary

Fire within the lake yields to wind above water — Dispersion, where rigid structures dissolve. Wings and feathers are injured and broken; there is no strength left to be strong. Duke Xiang of Song, thin on virtue, was defeated at the River Hong. In 638 BC, Duke Xiang of Song faced a Chu army crossing the Hong River. His minister urged him to attack during the crossing, but the Duke refused, insisting on chivalric conduct — waiting until the enemy had formed ranks. The Chu army promptly destroyed his forces, and the Duke himself was wounded. He died the following year. From Revolution to Dispersion, the transformation reveals how misplaced principle dissolves military coherence: the Duke's rigid honor scattered his own army like wind dispersing water.