既濟 → 革
Hexagram 63: After Completion → Hexagram 49: Revolution
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 1 changing line (line 4).
Line 4
六四 繻有衣袽。終日戒。
Six in the fourth place means: The finest clothes turn to rags. Be careful all day long.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
甘露醴泉，太平機關。仁德感應，歲樂民安。
A ripe year, an abundant harvest — grain fills a thousand granaries. The village feast of wine and ritual; white-haired elders share the hall.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Water sits above fire, but this verse is a modern rewrite. The original reads: 'Sweet dew and sweet springs — the mechanisms of great peace. Benevolent virtue resonates with heaven; the year is joyful and the people secure.' Sweet dew (甘露) and sweet springs (醴泉) are classical omens of a sage ruler's reign, appearing when virtue above and contentment below are in perfect harmony. From After Completion to Revolution, fire-and-water balance transforms into fire within the lake — the revolutionary tension of opposed elements sharing one space. Yet here Revolution is not violent upheaval but the ultimate transformation: the old order, completed and fulfilled, transmutes into a new dispensation so perfectly aligned that heaven itself responds with miraculous signs.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store