Hexagram 42: 益

yì —increase, expand, gain, add, augment (ing)

By Augustin Chan · Last updated 2025

Upper TrigramWind

Lower TrigramThunder

Judgment

益yìincrease, expand, gain, add, augment (ing)

利lìworth(while), reward(ing), benefit(icial)

有yǒu(to) have, find, take on; (if) there is

攸yōusomewhere; (a) place, direction, purpose

往wǎngto go, move towards; in going; ahead

利lì(it is) worthwhile, rewarding, favorable

涉shèto cross, ford, ferry, venture, experience

大dà(the) great, big, major

川chuānstream, river, current, water (s)

Increase. It furthers one to undertake something. Cross the great water. Times like these don't last—use them. Execute the project. Start the build. The conditions are favorable.

Image

風fēngwind

雷léithunder

益yìincreasing

君jūnnoble, worthy, honored

子zǐyoung one, heir, disciple

以yǐaccordingly, therefore, thus

見jiànseeing, (upon) see(ing); perceive, observe

善shànvirtue, goodness; good, virtuous, excellent

則zéand (so, then)

遷qiānmoves to, migrates to; embraces, adopts

有yǒu(if, when) having; (when) there is

過guòexcess(es), fault(s), error(s)

則zéand (so, then)

改gǎicorrects, reforms; changes, alters, reforms

Wind and thunder: the image of increase. The superior man sees good and imitates it; perceives faults and eliminates them. Active self-improvement through observation and correction.

Digital Artifact

Multiplayer BBS Door Games: LORE and Legend of the Red Dragon

Seth Able Robinson (1989)

In 1989, Seth Able Robinson released Legend of the Red Dragon, the BBS door game where that pixelated red dragon on the title screen unified thousands of local dial-up communities. You'd connect at 2400 baud—that screech-and-handshake—and get your daily turns. But unlike single-player games, your actions rippled through the entire server. Kill the dragon? Everyone benefits. Gain a level? The whole community's power distribution shifts. The game explicitly incentivized the strong descending to help the weak: marriage bonuses for partnerships, mentorship rewards, economic interdependence woven into the mechanics. Meanwhile, the sysop maintained the hardware and phone lines at personal expense so strangers could play together. Hexagram 42 is Increase (益)—thunder below, wind above, each force amplifying the other. LORD worked because it was architected as mutual increase: the strong descending to strengthen the weak, generous action propagating through the network, the red dragon watching over fellowship born from sacrifice.

Historical Context

Period: Zhou Dynasty
Oracle Bone Etymology: Wind (☴) sits above, Thunder (☳) sits below—gentle penetration over arousing movement.
Traditional Use: The classical text describes increase as the strong above descending to strengthen the weak below—not forced redistribution, but natural flow like wind and thunder amplifying each other.

Lines

Line 1: 利用為大作元吉無咎

利lìworthwhile

用yòng(to be) applied? practiced? carried out?

為wéi(to) effect, accomplish, manifest, develop

大dàgreat, big, major

作zuòworks; v (of wood)

元yuánmost, supremely; excellent, outstanding

吉jípromising, fortunate; promise, opportunity

無wúno; nothing; (this is) not; without, with no

咎jiùblame; (is) wrong; (a) mistake, (an) error (s)

Line 2: 或益之十朋之龜弗克違永貞吉王用享于帝吉

或huòsomebody, someone

益yìincreases, augments, grants, adds

之zhī(to) (this) one, him, her; this

十shí(by) ten

朋péng(matched) pairs

之zhīof

龜guītortoise, turtle (s) (shells)

弗fú(one) (is) not; un-; in-; -not

克kèable; possible; capable; can- v

違wéi(of, to) resist; refuse; oppose, offend (ing)

永yǒngeverlasting; ever-, always; constant, enduring

貞zhēnpersistence, determination, resolve, focus

吉jí(is) promising, auspicious, opportune, timely

王wáng(a, the, when) sovereign, king, ruler

用yòngapplies; takes, makes, uses, practices

享xiǎng(the) offering, sacrifice

于yúto, unto, before, in the presence of

帝dìgod; (the) ruler of heaven, supreme being

吉jípromising, auspicious, opportune, timely

Line 3: 益之用凶事無咎有孚中行告公用圭

益yìincrease(ing)

之zhīis that of; is in, on, with, by

用yòng(the) way, course, path, nature, process

凶xiōngill-omened, inauspicious, calamitous; dire

事shìevents, incidents, happenings, misfortunes

無wúno; nothing; (this is) not; without, with no

咎jiùblame; (is) wrong; (a) mistake, (an) error

有yǒu(if, when) having; (when) there is

孚fúsincerity, fidelity, integrity; faith, trust

中zhōng(the) central; concentration, balance(d)

行xíngconduct, behavior, comportment; practices

告gàoannounce, report, inform, communicate

公gōng(to the) prince, noble, authority, lord

用yòng(one) uses, presents, offers, employs

圭guī(a) jade tablet; (the) seal of office, symbol

Line 4: 中行告公從利用為依遷國

中zhōng(the) central; concentration, balance(d)

行xíngconduct, behavior, comportment; practices

告gàoannounce, report, inform, communicate

公gōng(to the) prince, noble, authority, lord

從cóng(who) follows, complies, acts upon (it)

利lìworthwhile, rewarding, productive

用yòng(to be) applied, practiced, carried out

為wéi(to) effect, accomplish, manifest, develop

依yīa mainstay, support; reliance, dependence

遷qiān(in) moving, relocating, transferring

國guó(the) nation, country, state, domain, territory

Line 5: 有孚惠心勿問元吉有孚惠我德

有yǒu(if, when) having; (when) there is

孚fúsincerity, fidelity, integrity; faith, trust

惠huì(and a) kind(ly), benevolent, gracious

心xīnheart, spirit; intentions, disposition

勿wùnot at all; not to be; do not

問wènquestion, inquire; doubt, challenge

元yuánmost, supremely; excellent, outstanding

吉jípromising, fortunate; promise, opportunity

有yǒu(there is, will be) having

孚fúsincerity, fidelity, integrity; faith, trust

惠huìkind(ness), benevolent, gracious; favor(ing)

我wǒmy, mine; me, ourselves, us

德dévirtue, character, merit, integrity, spirit

Line 6: 莫益之或擊之立心勿恆凶

莫mòno one, none, nobody; nothing

益yìincreases, augments, grants, adds

之zhīthis, this one; him, her

或huòsome, someone; perhaps, maybe

擊jīstrike(s), hit(s), attack(s), assault(s)

之zhīthis, this one; him, her

立lì(to) establish, found; position, stance

心xīnheart, spirit; intentions, disposition

勿wùnot at all; not to be; do not; avoid

恆héngconstancy, steadfastness, perseverance

凶xiōng(is) ill-omened, inauspicious; has pitfalls

Practical Guidance

You're experiencing actual growth. Not the aspirational kind, not the hockey-stick projection in the deck—real expansion of capability happening right now. The system's working, resources are available, momentum exists. Here's what this probably means: you have a window. Every developer who's experienced a truly functional team knows the feeling—features shipping, bugs getting fixed, communication flowing. It's tempting to think it will last forever. It won't. Teams change, requirements shift, resources get reallocated. The move isn't to hoard the increase or protect it defensively. The move is to build something during this window. Those BBS sysops didn't save their resources for later—they expanded the door game selections, upgraded the hardware, added more phone lines. They used the increase to generate further increase while it was available. Same principle in your code: when you've got momentum, when the architecture's solid and the team's aligned—that's when you tackle the ambitious refactor, implement the complex feature, pay down the technical debt you've been carrying. Not recklessly, but decisively. The classical text is correct about the danger: this state is temporary. It's a window. Use it well, or watch it close.

Transformations

When changing lines appear in a reading, this hexagram can transform into another.

32Duration6 changinglines 28Great Preponderance5 changinglines 34Great Power5 changinglines 40Deliverance5 changinglines 46Pushing Upward5 changinglines 50The Caldron5 changinglines 62Small Preponderance5 changinglines 7The Army4 changinglines

Get an interactive reading with this hexagram

Try the Oracle →