The trigram above TUI – The Joyous, Lake (younger daughter)
The trigram below LI- The Clinging, Fire (elder daughter)
General: Only when justified by necessity and clear intent should radical change be undertaken.
Love: Your relationship may be in need of a radical change, but first you should plan for all eventualities.
Business: The timing for radical change should be chosen wisely to maximize results.
Personal: Meditation is the key to taking advantage of the opportunity for radical self-transformation.
The Chinese character for this hexagram means in its original sense an animal’s pelt, which is changed in the course of the year by molting. From this the word is carried over to apply to the “moltings” in political life, the great revolutions connected with changes of governments.
The two trigrams making up the hexagram are the same two that appear in K’uei, OPPOSITION (38), that is, the two younger daughters, Li and Tui. But while there the elder of the two daughters is above, and what results is essentially only an opposition of tendencies, here the younger daughter is above. The influences are in actual conflict, and the forces conflict each other like fire and water (lake), each trying to destroy the other. Hence the idea of revolution.
Political revolutions are extremely grave matters. They should be undertaken only under stress of direct necessity, when there is no other way out. Not everyone is called to this task, but only the man who has the confidence of the people, and even he only when the time is ripe. he must then proceed in the right way so that he gladdens the people and, by enlightening them, prevents excesses. Furthermore, he must be quite free of selfish aims and must really relieve the need of the people. Only then does he have nothing to regret.
