Hexagram 49 for work
Hexagram 49 Reform for work and career
At work Ge is the hexagram of reform: replacing a system, a process, a leadership, a way of doing things that has stopped working. The Great Image shows the superior person 'regulating the calendar and clarifying the seasons' — revolution is not disorder but a new order that people can set their clocks by. The Tuan's test is 革而當, change that is fitting: made at the right time, by someone trusted, and for a reason others can see.
The lines sort out when. Lines one and three say not yet — one because the ground is not prepared, three because the proposal has not been argued through. Line two is the project with timing and sponsorship behind it. Lines four and five are the change carried out, first on trust and then so clearly that no one needs convincing. The top line is the aftermath: polish what is in place and accept that some colleagues will comply without being persuaded. A changing line in the lower trigram asks for patience; one in the upper trigram asks for clarity and then restraint.
The hexagram in brief
Fire in the lake: two that extinguish each other — change is forced. A revolution is believed only after it is done; supreme success when the time is ripe and the cause is right.
Change only when necessary, time it well, and carry people with you; a good reform ends regrets rather than creating them.
The judgment
革：巳日乃孚，元亨利貞，悔亡。(What takes place as indicated by) Ko is believed in only after it has been accomplished. There will be great progress and success. Advantage will come from being firm and correct. (In that case) occasion for repentance will disappear.
Which line changed?
A changing line sharpens the answer. Each line of 革 Reform has its own page:
- 初九Nine at the beginningbound fast · not yet · hold firm
- 六二Six in the second placethe ripe day · timing · go forward
- 九三Nine in the third placethree times over · haste · earn belief
- 九四Nine in the fourth placechange the mandate · trust · regret gone
- 九五Nine in the fifth placetiger's stripes · visible change · trusted before asking
- 上六Six at the topleopard's spots · changed faces · stop and hold
The same hexagram for
Questions
- What does hexagram 49, Reform, mean for a career question?
- At work Ge is the hexagram of reform: replacing a system, a process, a leadership, a way of doing things that has stopped working. The Great Image shows the superior person 'regulating the calendar and clarifying the seasons' — revolution is not disorder but a new order that people can set their clocks by. The Tuan's test is 革而當, change that is fitting: made at the right time, by someone trusted, and for a reason others can see.
- What does Hexagram 49, 革 Reform, mean?
- Fire in the lake: two that extinguish each other — change is forced. A revolution is believed only after it is done; supreme success when the time is ripe and the cause is right.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).