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.
Legge’s romanization predates pinyin, so the same word may be spelled differently in the two systems (Kh’ien / Qián). Body text on this site uses pinyin throughout.
夫民可與習常,難與適變;可與樂成,難與慮始。故革之為道,即日不孚,「巳日乃孚」也。孚,然後乃得「元亨利貞,悔亡」也。巳日而不孚,革不當也。悔吝之所生,生乎變動者也。革而當,其悔乃亡也。
《革》,《序卦》:「井道不可不革,故受之以革。」井之為物,存之則穢敗,易之則清潔,不可不革者也,故井之後,受之以革也。為卦,兌上離下,澤中有火也。革,變革也。水火,相息之物,水滅火,火涸水,相變革者也。火之性上,水之性下,若相違行,則睽而已。乃火在下,水在上,相就而相克,相滅息者也,所以為革也。又二女同居,而其歸各異,其志不同,為不相得也,故為革也。 革者,變其故也。變其故,則人未能遽信,故必巳日,然後人心信從。元亨利貞,悔亡,弊壞而後革之,革之所以致其通也,故革之而可以大亨;革之而利於正,道則可久而得去故之義;無變動之悔,乃悔亡也。革而無甚益,猶可悔也,況反害乎?古人所以重改作也。
正義曰:「革」者,改變之名也。此卦明改制革命,故名「革」也。「巳日乃孚」者,夫民情「可與習常,難與適變,可與樂成,難與慮始」。故革命之初,人未信服,所以「即日不孚,巳日乃孚」也。「元亨利貞悔亡」者,為革而民信之,然後乃得大通而利正也。悔吝之所生,生乎變動,革之為義,變動者也。革若不當,則悔吝交及,如能大通利貞,則革道當矣。為革而當,乃得亡其悔吝,故曰「元亨,利貞,悔亡」。