I Ching Hexagram 42 · Yi

Hexagram Position Information

• Hexagram Sequence: Hexagram 42
• Hexagram Name: Increase
• Hexagram Image: Xun ☴ above, Zhen ☳ below (wind and thunder reinforcing one another)
• Palace: Xun Palace · Third Generation Hexagram
• Hexagram Quality: Supreme auspicious hexagram (reducing what is above to increase what is below, bringing growth and smooth progress)

• Primary Hexagram: Increase (Hexagram 42)
• Nuclear Hexagram: Splitting Apart (Hexagram 23)
• Inverse Hexagram: Duration (Hexagram 32)
• Paired Hexagram: Decrease (Hexagram 41)

The Sequence of the Hexagrams says: “When decrease does not stop, it must be followed by increase. Therefore Increase follows Decrease.” When decrease reaches its extreme, it naturally turns into increase. The hexagram Increase is precisely the natural transformation that follows Decrease.

What This Hexagram Is Saying

Increase. It is favorable to have somewhere to go. It is favorable to cross the great river.

The hexagram Increase symbolizes growth, support, and gain. It is favorable to take action, and also favorable to venture into risk and undertake great affairs. Acting in accord with the momentum brings great benefit.

The Great Image and Core Spirit

The Image says: Wind and thunder: Increase. The noble one, on seeing good, moves toward it; on having faults, corrects them.

Thunder stirs and wind moves, their force advancing together and increasing one another. The noble one contemplates this image, learns from the strengths of others, and corrects faults as soon as they are seen, thereby continually increasing personal virtue.

• Keywords: increase, support, giving, initiative
• Principle: reduce what is above to increase what is below; there is more blessing in giving than in receiving
• Core idea: benefiting others will ultimately benefit oneself

Increase reveals a logic of growth grounded in bestowing benefits downward and giving outward. True increase does not mean possessing more, but circulating more. When energy, resources, and goodwill flow to others, the whole system naturally grows stronger, and one also becomes expanded and rewarded within it.

The Progression of the Six Lines

1. First Nine: It is favorable to undertake great works. Supreme good fortune. No blame.

   It is favorable to launch a great undertaking; great good fortune, with no disaster. Meaning: when the time is ripe, those in the lower position benefit most and may act boldly.

2. Six in the Second Place: One may be increased by another. Ten pairs of tortoise shells cannot oppose it. Lasting correctness brings good fortune.

   Unexpected benefit arrives and should not be refused; abiding in what is right brings enduring good fortune. Meaning: help comes from outside and is gained without greed, so it should be accepted with peace of mind.

3. Six in the Third Place: Use increase in dealing with distressing events. No blame.

   Use what has been gained to relieve urgent hardship, and there will be no disaster. Meaning: using increase to rescue others in difficulty can in turn preserve oneself.

4. Six in the Fourth Place: Walking in the middle way, report to the prince and follow him. It is favorable to use this as a basis for moving the state.

   Follow the middle way and gain support from above; it is favorable to shift to a new environment. Meaning: adapt to changing circumstances and gain increase by drawing on available support.

5. Nine in the Fifth Place: With sincere and benevolent heart, do not ask. Supreme good fortune.

   Bestow kindness with sincerity, and it is needless to ask whether it will be greatly auspicious. Meaning: when benevolence and virtue hold the center, the people naturally give their hearts, and Increase reaches its fullest flourishing.

6. Top Nine: No one increases him; perhaps someone strikes him. If one sets the heart without constancy, misfortune.

   If one does not bring increase to others, one may instead come under attack; if the will lacks constancy, misfortune results in the end. Meaning: to depart from the Way of Increase is to become abandoned by all.

Guidance for Everyday Life

Keywords and Overall Guidance:

This is a time of favorable momentum: helpful people appear and resources gather. The more proactively you give, the greater the return.

Career and Finances:

It is favorable to invest boldly and to support others generously. When a team works together with shared purpose from top to bottom, progress expands quickly.

Do not cling to small profits; yielding some advantage brings greater gains in return. Trade favors speed: the faster the circulation, the greater the increase.

Love and Relationships:

Mutual support and shared growth indicate a promising bond.

Physical and Emotional State:

Pay attention to liver heat and emotional regulation; seek balance within activity.

The above content is for everyday self-care reference only; if physical or emotional discomfort persists or worsens, please consult a qualified medical or mental health professional first.

One-Sentence Reminder

The way of Increase lies in reducing what is above to increase what is below, and in bestowing benefit on others; those who continually correct themselves and help others succeed will ultimately fulfill a greater self.