Hexagram 42. Increase (益 Yì)

Trigrams

Above

☴ Xùn (Wind) — 風 · Penetrating

Below

☳ Zhèn (Thunder) — 雷 · Arousing

Symbolic Meaning

益 (Yì) describes increase—expansion through directed addition and reinforcement. The system gains capacity because energy is being applied where it produces real growth.

Wind above thunder shows propagation emerging from activation. What begins as movement below spreads outward and upward, creating amplification. Increase here is not mere accumulation, but growth that extends functional reach.

Judgment

Original Chinese:
益，利有攸往，利涉大川。
(Yì, lì yǒu yōu wǎng, lì shè dà chuān.)

"Increase. It is favorable to move with direction. It is favorable to undertake a major transition."

Increase creates conditions for forward movement. The system has enough added capacity to undertake something consequential.

This is not passive growth. Expansion is meant to be used, especially where a larger passage or transition must be made.

Image

Original Chinese:
風雷，益。君子以見善則遷，有過則改。
(Fēng léi, yì. Jūn zǐ yǐ jiàn shàn zé qiān, yǒu guò zé gǎi.)

"Wind and thunder stir together: increase. The superior person moves toward what is good and corrects what is mistaken."

Increase is not just receiving more. It also requires responsiveness—taking in what strengthens the system and removing what weakens it.

Growth is sustained by adjustment. Increase and correction work together.

Line 1

Original Chinese:
利用為大作，元吉，無咎。
(Lì yòng wéi dà zuò, yuán jí, wú jiù.)

"It is favorable to undertake major work. Primary favorable outcome. No error."

Increase at the beginning is best used productively. The added capacity should be directed into something substantial.

Because the system has gained strength, larger action becomes viable. This is the correct use of increase.

Line 2

Original Chinese:
或益之，十朋之龜弗克違，永貞吉。王用享于帝，吉。
(Huò yì zhī, shí péng zhī guī fú kè wéi, yǒng zhēn jí. Wáng yòng xiǎng yú dì, jí.)

"Increase comes from outside support and cannot be refused. Enduring correct alignment leads to a favorable outcome. The governing authority uses this to make an offering to the Highest. Favorable outcome."

The system receives reinforcement from beyond itself. The gain is substantial and carries legitimacy.

When increase is stable, it can be integrated into a larger order rather than merely consumed. That is why the outcome remains favorable.

Line 3

Original Chinese:
益之用凶事，無咎。有孚，中行告公用圭。
(Yì zhī yòng xiōng shì, wú jiù. Yǒu fú, zhōng xíng gào gōng yòng guī.)

"Increase is applied when an unfavorable outcome must be handled. No error. There is underlying alignment, and balanced conduct is formally communicated."

Increase is not reserved only for easy conditions. It may be used to stabilize or repair a system under strain.

What matters is proper handling and clear alignment. Used with balance, increase becomes corrective rather than excessive.

Line 4

Original Chinese:
中行告公從，利用為依遷國。
(Zhōng xíng gào gōng cóng, lì yòng wéi yī qiān guó.)

"Balanced action is communicated and followed. It is favorable to use this as a basis for major reorganization."

Increase has reached a level where structural change becomes possible. The added capacity can support reordering at scale.

This is not a minor adjustment. Growth now provides the foundation for relocating or rebuilding the system’s center.

Line 5

Original Chinese:
有孚惠心，勿問元吉。有孚惠我德。
(Yǒu fú huì xīn, wù wèn yuán jí. Yǒu fú huì wǒ dé.)

"There is underlying alignment in a benevolent heart. Do not ask. Primary favorable outcome. There is underlying alignment in the virtue it extends to others."

Increase is most effective when it is grounded in genuine benefit rather than demand. The gain is self-validating.

Because the increase is aligned and generous in function, it strengthens the whole system. The result does not need external confirmation.

Line 6

Original Chinese:
莫益之，或擊之，立心勿恆，凶。
(Mò yì zhī, huò jī zhī, lì xīn wù héng, xiōng.)

"No increase is given; instead, attack may come. If the system’s center is not stable, the result is unfavorable outcome."

Increase has been exhausted, and the system no longer receives support. Instead, it becomes vulnerable to opposition.

If the internal center is not stable, this loss of reinforcement leads to disruption. Misfortune arises from both external pressure and internal instability.