Hexagram 49 for love
Hexagram 49 Reform in love and relationships
Ge is fire under the lake: two forces that put each other out, two daughters under one roof whose wills do not agree. The Tuan says that is why it is called Revolution. For a relationship it describes a bond in which something has to change — a pattern, a role, an arrangement that no longer fits — and it is honest about the discomfort: the change will be believed in only after it is done. The judgment promises that if the change is made properly, regret disappears.
The lines give the pace. The first line binds itself with ox-hide and does nothing; the second waits for the ripe day and then acts with support; the third wants it all at once and is told to talk it through three times. The fourth is the change itself, carried by trust in the intention. The top line warns against going on changing after the point is made: once the other person has adjusted, even only outwardly, stop and hold what you have.
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
- Is hexagram 49, Reform, a good sign for love?
- Ge is fire under the lake: two forces that put each other out, two daughters under one roof whose wills do not agree. The Tuan says that is why it is called Revolution. For a relationship it describes a bond in which something has to change — a pattern, a role, an arrangement that no longer fits — and it is honest about the discomfort: the change will be believed in only after it is done. The judgment promises that if the change is made properly, regret disappears.
- 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).