升 → 益
Hexagram 46: Pushing Upward → Hexagram 42: Increase
Changing Lines
This transformation involves 5 changing lines (lines 1, 2, 3, 5, 6).
Line 1
初六 允升大吉。
Six at the beginning means: Pushing upward that meets with confidence Brings great good fortune.
Line 2
九二 孚乃利用禴。无咎。
Nine in the second place means: If one is sincere, It furthers one to bring even a small offering. No blame.
Line 3
九三 升虛邑。
Nine in the third place means: One pushes upward into an empty city.
Line 5
六五 貞吉升階。
Six in the fifth place means: Perseverance brings good fortune. One pushes upward by steps.
Line 6
上六 冥升。利于不息之貞。
Six at the top means: Pushing upward in darkness. It furthers one To be unremittingly persevering.
Trigram Changes
Yilin Verse
登木出淵，稍上升天。明德孔聖，白日載榮。
Climbing the tree, emerging from the depths; step by step ascending toward heaven. Bright virtue, most sagely and holy; the white sun bears all into glory.
— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE
Commentary
Wood grows within the earth: climbing a tree, emerging from an abyss, one gradually ascends toward heaven itself. Bright virtue rivals that of Confucius the sage; the white sun carries renewed glory across the sky. The imagery maps the full arc of Pushing Upward's promise — from the lowest depths to the highest firmament, from darkness to radiance. Wind over thunder, the image of Increase, shows virtue flowing downward to enrich all that lies below. From Pushing Upward to Increase, the organic ascent completes its purpose by amplifying benefit for others. The one who rose through patient effort now radiates virtue like the sun at noon, and every layer traversed — root, trunk, and canopy — becomes a source of nourishment for the world.
The Six Lines app includes all 4,096 Yilin verses, each with original ink brush artwork and full commentary. Download on the App Store