湯武革命，順天應人
先看圖像，再讀文字。Read the image before the words.
澤中有火，革
(The trigram representing) a marsh with fire in the midst of it forms Ge.
君子以治曆明時。
The superior man, in accordance with this, regulates his (astronomical) calculations, and makes clear the seasons and times.
澤中有火——革之象。君子由此體會：治理曆法、明察時機，是革之本。
(The trigram representing) a marsh with fire in the midst of it forms Ge. The superior man, in accordance with this, regulates his (astronomical) calculations, and makes clear the seasons and times.
先讀經文，再讀《彖傳》如何解釋卦辭。The received text, then the Tuan commentary on it.
革：己日乃孚，元亨利貞，悔亡。
革卦——到了「己日」（時機成熟）才能取得信任。大亨通，利於守正，悔消失。革之大事必待時、必有信、必持正。
(What takes place as indicated by) Ge 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.
革，水火相息，二女同居，其志不相得，曰革。己日乃孚，革而信之；文明以說，大亨以正，革而當，其悔乃亡。天地革而四時成，湯武革命，順乎天而應乎人，革之時大矣哉！
革卦：水（兌）與火（離）相熄滅，二女同居志向不合，所以為革。「己日乃孚」是說革而能取信於人；文明（離）而悅（兌），大亨而以正道，革之得當則悔消。天地相革而成四時，湯武革命順天應人——革的時機真大啊！
In Ge we have water and fire extinguishing each other; (we have, also, as it were,) two daughters dwelling together, but with their minds directed to different objects — these conditions are what is called Ge. Tang and Wu changed the appointment of dynasty in accordance with (the will of) Heaven, and in response to (the wishes of) men. Great indeed is what is done in this time of Ge.
六條線各有一句判斷。閱讀次序初→上；卦象由下而上，看左側的卦。One statement per line, read from the first line to the top. The figure is drawn bottom-up — watch the rail.
鞏用黃牛之革。
用黃牛皮緊緊包裹（不可妄動）——剛起步就要革，必須極為穩固才行。
The first NINE shows one (as if) bound with the skin of a yellow ox.
鞏用黃牛，不可以有為也。
用黃牛皮捆住，是說此時不可以有作為。
己日乃革之，征吉，無咎。
到了己日才革——前進吉，無咎。柔得中位、待時而動。
The second SIX shows one making his changes after some time has passed. Action taken will be fortunate. There will be no error.
己日革之，行有嘉也。
己日乃革，行則有嘉慶。
征凶，貞厲，革言三就，有孚。
前進凶，守此有險——但若革命之言反復三次成熟，則有信實。革大事須三度確認方可。
The third NINE shows that action taken will be evil. Though he be firm and correct, his position is perilous. If the change he contemplates have been three times fully discussed, he will be believed in.
革言三就，又何之矣。
革之言已三度成熟，還等甚麼？
悔亡，有孚改命，吉。
悔消失，有誠信而改命——吉。剛在中陽位、得位而能改舊立新。
The fourth NINE shows occasion for repentance disappearing. Let its subject be believed in; and though he change (existing) ordinances, there will be good fortune.
改命之吉，信志也。
改命之吉，是因為志向誠信。
大人虎變，未占有孚。
大人物如虎一般變化——不必占卜就知有信。剛健中正之主，革之大成。
The fifth NINE shows the great man producing his changes as the tiger does when he changes (his stripes). Before he divines (and proceeds to action), faith has been reposed in him.
大人虎變，其文炳也。
大人虎變，是文采炳然。
君子豹變，小人革面，征凶，居貞吉。
君子如豹一般變化（次於虎），小人僅僅改變面容——進取凶，守正居安則吉。革之終須收。
The topmost SIX shows the superior man producing his changes as the leopard (does when he changes his spots), while small men change their faces (to those whom they follow). Any further movement to the front will lead to evil. He should remain firm and correct, and there will be good fortune.
君子豹變，其文蔚也。小人革面，順以從君也。
君子豹變是文采蔚然。小人革面是順從君主。
把象套到你的情境，取一個可行的下一步。Apply the image to your situation; take one practical step.
革·時·順天應人
Revolution · timing · heaven and people
革卦最大的應用：「時」「孚」「正」三要。革之大事必待時機（己日），必伴誠信（有孚），必持正道（利貞）。最忌兩極：初九「鞏用黃牛」（早動）和上六「征凶」（過動）。最高境是九五「大人虎變」——德性所至，自然轉變。
Ge's deepest application: timing + sincerity + uprightness. Major change needs ripeness (the ji day, when the cycle turns), trust (you fu, inner sincerity), and the right path (li zhen, benefit through correctness). Two failure modes: line 1 (premature) and line 6 (over-prolonged). The peak: line 5 'great person, tiger transformation' — virtue effects natural change.
九三「征凶，貞厲」是現代改革者的典型失——還沒讓「革言三就」（三度成熟），就硬推。這也是歷史上失敗革命的共同模式：時機未到、共識未成而強行。
Line 3 'advance is evil, hold is dangerous' — the modern reformer's typical failure. Pushing before 'reform-words have ripened thrice'. The common pattern of failed revolutions: timing not ripe, consensus not formed.
王弼以為革卦的核心在「待時」與「有孚」——革大事必待時機（己日），必伴誠信，方能取信於民而成。卦辭「己日乃孚」四字是革的全部要義。
Wang Bi takes the core of Ge to be 'waiting for the time' and 'having sincerity' (fu 孚) — a great change must wait for its moment (the ji day) and must be accompanied by good faith; only then can it win the people's trust and succeed. The four characters of the Judgment, 'on the ji day, then trusted' (ji ri nai fu 己日乃孚), are the whole essence of Ge.
程子強調彖傳「湯武革命，順乎天而應乎人」——革命的合法性建立在順天應人之上，不是強力。讀此卦最該記住的是九五「大人虎變」——真正的大革命是德性所至，民眾自然信服。
Cheng Yi stresses the Tuan Zhuan's 'Tang and Wu changed the mandate, complying with heaven and answering to the people' — a revolution's legitimacy rests on according with heaven and answering the people, not on force. What most deserves remembering in this hexagram is line 5, 'the great man transforms like a tiger': a truly great revolution is the work of virtue arrived at its fullness, and the people trust it of their own accord.
朱子直言：革者，變也。卦象水火相息——舊的勢必去除。卦辭「元亨利貞」四德齊備，但前提是「己日乃孚」（時機成熟並有誠信）。學者觀此知：變革之道有「時」、「孚」、「正」三要。
Zhu Xi puts it plainly: Ge means change. In the hexagram's image, water and fire extinguish each other — the old must inevitably go. The Judgment carries all four virtues, 'yuan heng li zhen,' but on one condition: 'on the ji day, then trusted' — the moment ripe, the sincerity present. From this the student learns that the way of change has three essentials: timing (shi 時), sincerity (fu 孚), and correctness (zheng 正).
革講變革的火候。卦辭「己日乃孚」：改到那個日子，人心纔跟上來，動手早了沒人信。彖傳說「湯武革命，順乎天而應乎人」，變革立得住，天時與人心兩頭都得到位，硬推推不成。 兩個關口最容易失手。起手處看初九「鞏用黃牛之革」，先拿牛皮把自己捆結實，時候未到寸步不動；收尾處看上六「征凶，居貞吉」，革已成還想接著革，再往前走就是凶，該收手守成了。中間的高處是九五「大人虎變，未占有孚」，德望到了那個份上，不必占問，人自然信。彖傳收在「革之時大矣哉」，整卦說來說去就是一個時字。
Ge is about the heat-timing of change. The Judgment says 'on the ji day, then trusted': change on the right day and people's hearts come along; move early and nobody believes you. The Tuan Zhuan says 'Tang and Wu changed the mandate, complying with heaven and answering to the people' — for a change to stand, heaven's timing and human hearts both have to be in place. Forcing it doesn't work. Two checkpoints are where people slip. At the start, line 1: 'bound with the hide of a yellow ox' — strap yourself down tight, and until the hour comes, don't move an inch. At the end, line 6: 'to advance is ominous; staying correct brings fortune' — the change is done and you want to keep changing; one more step forward is disaster, so stop and consolidate. The high point in between is line 5, 'the great man transforms like a tiger; before any divination, he is trusted' — when standing reaches that level, no one needs to consult the oracle; people simply believe. The Tuan Zhuan closes with 'great indeed is the time of Ge.' The whole hexagram comes down to one word: timing.
To change, to strip away. Original sense: an animal hide with the hair removed — transformation down to the raw material.
Sincerity, good faith — the inner trustworthiness that makes others believe.
The sixth day of the ten-day stem cycle; figuratively, the moment when the time is ripe.
To bind tight, to make fast — holding firm before any move.
To ripen, to come to completion — here, of deliberations reaching maturity.
Brilliant, strikingly clear — of the tiger's markings after transformation.
Richly patterned, luxuriant — of the leopard's markings; finer-grained than the tiger's blaze.
The calendar — the chart of seasons and times, the king's instrument for reading the moment.
第 49 革（破舊）與第 50 鼎（立新）為一對綜卦。古人深知：革命的真正完成不是破壞（革），而是在破壞之後立起新的制度（鼎）。沒有鼎的革是亂，沒有革的鼎是腐。
Hexagram 49 Ge (clearing away the old) and hexagram 50 Ding (establishing the new) are an inverse pair. The ancients understood that a revolution is truly completed not by destruction (Ge) but by the new order built after it (Ding). Ge without Ding is chaos; Ding without Ge is rot.
彖傳「湯武革命，順乎天而應乎人」一句，是中國政治哲學中「革命有理」的經典表述。湯（商湯）滅夏、武（周武王）滅商——古人不視為篡逆，而視為「順天應人」之大義。後世儒家政治思想多源於此句。
The Tuan Zhuan's 'Tang and Wu changed the mandate, complying with heaven and answering to the people' is the classic statement of justified revolution in Chinese political philosophy. Tang of Shang overthrew the Xia; King Wu of Zhou overthrew the Shang — the ancients read these not as usurpation but as the great duty of according with heaven and answering the people. Much of later Confucian political thought descends from this sentence.
大象「君子以治曆明時」——治理曆法是古代王者的根本任務之一，因為曆法不準則農時亂、農時亂則民生不立。「明時」二字是革之本——能看清時機，才能革得對。
The Da Xiang: 'the superior man regulates the calendar and clarifies the seasons.' Regulating the calendar was one of the ancient king's fundamental tasks — an inaccurate calendar disorders the farming seasons, and disordered seasons undo the people's livelihood. 'Clarifying the times' (ming shi 明時) is the root of Ge: only one who can read the moment can change things rightly.
九五虎變、上六豹變與小人革面，是革之三層：(1) 大人虎變——根本性質之變（如虎易毛）；(2) 君子豹變——文采外顯之變；(3) 小人革面——只在表面順從。古人以此三層分判革命之深淺。
The tiger transformation of line 5, the leopard transformation of line 6, and the small man's changed face mark three depths of change: (1) the great man transforms like a tiger — a change of fundamental nature, as the tiger renews its coat; (2) the superior man transforms like a leopard — a change shown in outward pattern; (3) the small man changes only his face — surface compliance. The ancients used these three levels to judge how deep a revolution really went.
「己日乃孚」四字之意？為何是革之全部要義？
What does 己日乃孚 (jǐ rì nǎi fú) mean and why is it the heart of Ge?
「大人虎變、君子豹變、小人革面」之三層差別？
What are the three levels of change?
用九五「大人虎變」評論一個你見過的真誠且自然的變革領袖。
Use line 5 to comment on a real reformer whose virtue made change inevitable.