The I Ching, Legge tr.: Text Section II: XLIX. The Ko Hex...

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This is classical Chinese divination literature — specifically hexagram 49 (Ko/Gé, "Revolution" or "Change") from the *I Ching* (Book of Changes), presented with its traditional commentary. The text consists of two layers: the core oracle text (the Judgment and six line statements), followed by an interpretive commentary in the tradition of the Ten Wings appendices. The hexagram's central argument is that fundamental change — including political transformation — is legitimate and beneficial when it arises from genuine necessity, proceeds deliberately, and is conducted with firm correctness; change undertaken rashly or without earned trust will fail. Each of the six lines maps a stage or type of actor in the change process, from the premature and ineffective (line 1, "bound with ox-hide") to the supremely capable leader symbolized by a tiger changing his stripes (line 5), down to the subordinate who should comply rather than act independently (line 6). A distinctive claim running through the commentary is that public skepticism toward change is the default condition, so a reformer must first establish credibility through repeated deliberation before acting — "if the change have been three times fully discussed, he will be believed in." The commentary also makes an unusually explicit political application, noting that line 4's favorable conditions could justify even changing a dynasty.

The I Ching, Legge tr.: Text Section II: XLIX. The Ko Hex...

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