Hexagram 46: 升

shēng — advancement, ascent, step, climb upwards

Upper TrigramEarth
Lower TrigramWind

Judgment

升shēngadvancement, ascent, step, climb upwards
元yuánfirst-rate, supreme, excellent
亨hēngfulfillment, satisfaction, success
用yònguseful, practical, productive
見jiànto see, encounter, meet with, consult
大dàmature, complete, realized, great
人rénhuman being, character, one, person, man
勿wùdo not, don't
恤xùworry, suffer; be anxious, concerned
南nánsouth, southern, southerly
征zhēngexpedition; to advance, go boldly forward
吉jípromising, auspicious, opportune, timely

Pushing upward has supreme success. One must see the great man. Fear not. Departure toward the south brings good fortune. The time is propitious; resistance yields naturally to modesty and adaptability. Activity brings success.

Image

地dìearth, land, ground
中zhōngwithin, inside, amidst, in the midst of
生shēnggrows, develops, lives
木mùwood, tree
升shēngadvancement
君jūnnoble, worthy, honored
子zǐyoung one, heir, disciple
以yǐaccordingly, therefore, thus
順shùnaccepting, compliant, agreeable, patient
德décharacter, temperament, nature, spirit
積jīadd, build up; accumulate, collect
小xiǎolittle, minor, ordinary, small things
以yǐinto; to make, reach; as a way, means to
高gāothe high, eminent, prominent; nobility
大dàfull, important; greatness, maturity

Within the earth, wood grows. Thus the superior man of devoted character heaps up small things to achieve something high and great. Accumulation of small steady progress creates significant achievement.

Digital Artifact

Apple II in Schools: Computing Education's Gradual Ascent

Steve Wozniak (hardware), Apple Computer Inc. (1977)

The Apple II didn't conquer education through aggressive marketing or superior technology alone. It ascended gradually, systematically, almost organically. One school at a time, one teacher at a time, one student discovering BASIC programming at a time. The machine itself was designed for this: expansion slots for peripherals, color graphics for engagement, BASIC in ROM so anyone could start coding immediately. But the real growth came from below—teachers writing educational software, students teaching other students, schools sharing curriculum. By 1980, Apple had placed machines in half of American schools. Not through force, but through modesty and adaptability—make it accessible, make it useful, let it grow naturally. Wood in the earth pushing upward without haste and without rest. The system bent around obstacles: couldn't afford enough computers? Start a computer lab. Parents concerned about games? Emphasize educational value. The ascent was vertical—from obscurity (hobby machine) to influence (defining educational computing for a generation). Success through steady, persistent, adaptable upward growth.

Historical Context

Period
Zhou Dynasty
Oracle Bone Etymology
Earth (☷) sits above, Wind (☴) sits below—receptive above, gentle penetrating force below.
Traditional Use
The classical text describes pushing upward as wood growing through earth—not violent breakthrough but gradual ascent through effort and adaptation, rising from obscurity to influence through modesty and persistence.

Lines

Line 1: 允升大吉

允yǔnwelcome, allowed, granted, well-favored
升shēngadvance, ascent, promotion; to step up
大dàmuch, great, full of, a lot of; very
吉jípromise, hope, opportunity; promising

Line 2: 孚乃利用禴

孚fúsincerity; confidence, trust, assurance
乃nǎiis, comes before, precedes; first, and then
利lìthe real worth, merit, reward, gain
用yòngin, when offering, presenting, dedicating
禴yuèthe modest, sparing spring sacrifice

Line 3: 升虛邑

升shēngadvancing on, upon; acquiring
虛xūempty, unoccupied, vacant, ghost-
邑yìtown, village, settlement, district

Line 4: 王用亨于岐山吉無咎

王wángthe sovereign, king, ruler
用yòngwill make, present, offer, perform
亨hēngoffering(s), sacrifice(s) (of xiang)
于yúto, by, on, at, beside
岐qíSplit, Forked, Twin; Qi
山shānMountain; Mount
吉jípromising, auspicious, opportune, timely
無wúnot(hing) (is); no harm; no wrong
咎jiùwrong; making a mistake(s); doing wrong

Line 5: 貞吉升階

貞zhēnpersistence, determination, resolve, focus
吉jípromising, auspicious, opportune, timely
升shēngthe advance; move up, ascend, climb
階jiēby in steps, degrees, grades, stages

Line 6: 冥升利于不息之貞

冥míngthe blind, dark, obscure, dim
升shēngadvance, ascent, climb
利lìworthwhile; advantage, profit, reward
于yúto; in, by, when, through
不bùnot being; avoiding, doing without
息xīlaxity; relax(ed, ing, ation); quit, rest
之zhīin, about one's, such, this, that
貞zhēnpersistence, determination, resolve, focus

Practical Guidance

You're making progress, but it's gradual. Not the explosive breakthrough of hexagram 43—this is the slow, steady climb. The project's gaining traction. The skill's developing. The system's maturing. It's working, but it's not dramatic. Here's the thing: this is actually the sustainable pattern. Those Apple IIs in schools? Still there a decade later. The explosive breakthrough fades; the steady ascent endures. Wood grows by adapting to obstacles, not destroying them. The root system finds paths around rocks. The trunk bends toward light. The growth is continuous but incremental. In your development: you're building the system piece by piece. Each sprint adds capability. Each refactor improves structure. Each bug fix increases stability. None of it's glamorous. All of it matters. The temptation is to think you're not moving fast enough, that you should force rapid advancement. But pushing upward isn't forcing—it's steady devotion to progress. The warning: pushing upward blindly leads to exhaustion. Know when to pause. Integrate what you've built. Let the system stabilize at each new level before climbing higher. The Apple II didn't try to dominate business computing and education and gaming simultaneously—it focused on education, established itself there, then expanded from strength. Heap up small things. Don't skip stages. Trust the accumulation. The height you reach through steady climbing is more stable than the height reached through a single leap.

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