Revolution
Hexagram 49 · Lake over Fire
Published July 8, 2026 · By Oriens
巳日乃孚。元亨利貞，悔亡。
On the sì day, there is trust [巳日; transmitted readings and interpretation are disputed]. Great success; steadfastness is favorable. Regret disappears.
— I Ching, Hexagram 49 (革), 巳日乃孚。元亨利貞，悔亡。
Translation by Oriens Editorial Translation. Edition: Chinese base text: 《武英殿十三經注疏》本《周易正義》; URN ctp:book-of-changes; accessed 2026-08-04.
The translation field is an Oriens clean-room translation from the recorded Chinese judgment text. English titles and commentary are Oriens editorial material, distinct from the received text.
Change becomes legitimate through timing, preparation, and earned trust—not through destruction alone. The opening phrase has competing textual and calendrical interpretations, so Oriens retains the CText reading sì day instead of hiding it behind one smooth explanation. For a modern decision, ask whether the old form has truly failed, who bears the transition cost, and what order, repair, or accountability will follow.
Hexagram 49 is traditionally called Revolution or Molting. Its opening appears in the declared CText base as 巳日乃孚, while other transmitted readings and interpretations include 己日 and different calendrical or temporal explanations. The character 巳 (sì) names one of the Earthly Branches and anchors the phrase to a specific day in the ritual calendar. Oriens retains sì day in the main translation and records the uncertainty rather than disguising one explanation as settled. The remaining judgment links great success and favorable steadfastness with the disappearance of regret, suggesting that the proper timing of change eliminates the second-guessing that follows premature action.
Lake over Fire is the trigram structure. Water sits above flame, and the two cannot coexist indefinitely; one must give way. Later image commentary reads this as the calendar turning, seasons clarifying, and old forms yielding to new ones. Revolution here is not ideological upheaval but a natural succession: when conditions have fully ripened, transformation becomes the only honest response. Following 井 (The Well), this hexagram suggests that after the source of sustenance has been examined and renewed, the larger order may also need restructuring.
The modern lesson is not that disruption is inherently brave. Transformative change needs grounds, timing, consent where possible, and a credible form after the old one is removed. Ask who benefits, who carries the risk, what evidence shows the existing arrangement has failed, and how harm will be repaired during transition. A revolution without follow-through merely transfers disorder. Trust is not a slogan announced before action; it is earned when purpose, process, and consequences can withstand scrutiny. The judgment places regret disappearance after steadfastness, implying that only a change conducted with integrity leaves no residue of doubt.