I-Ching Hexagram 42
益 Increase
Also known as Augmentation
A time of abundance flowing downward — those above give to those below. The counsel is to be generous, to act boldly on a clear good, and to use the moment for true betterment.
increase · augmentation · benefit
Increase Flowing Downhill
Quick Meaning
What Hexagram 42 means
Hexagram 42 describes increase: strength or benefit flowing downward in a way that genuinely improves the situation. It appears when the moment supports generosity, repair, and decisive action for the good, especially when those with more capacity use it to lift what is below. The reading favors acting on a clear improvement now, while the conditions of growth are open and moving.
- It supports generosity, correction, and bold movement where real betterment is possible and not merely imagined.
- It favors giving from strength, imitating what is excellent, and promptly changing what is faulty in yourself or the system around you.
- It warns against hoarding advantage, talking about improvement without acting, or using a fertile moment only for private gain.
When this hexagram appears
- Conditions favor real improvement. A channel has opened for growth, assistance, or correction that can tangibly raise the level of the situation.
- What is above should nourish what is below. Hexagram 42 often appears when resources, authority, or attention need to flow where they can do actual good.
- The right response is active. This is not a time to watch improvement from the sidelines. The reading favors using the opening while it is alive and available.
How to apply Increase
In relationships
Give what truly strengthens the bond rather than what merely flatters it. The reading favors generosity, repair, and deliberate action that leaves both people better grounded and more open.
In work or decisions
Invest where real growth can occur. This is a strong time to direct resources downward into the part of the structure that most needs support and can best convert it into lasting increase.
In personal growth
Strengthen the life that is already trying to grow. Hexagram 42 supports copying what is admirable, correcting what is weak, and taking advantage of a genuine moment of increase while it lasts.
Use Hexagram 42 in context
Hexagram 42 FAQ
Does Increase always mean money or gain?
No. It means true betterment. That may involve material help, but it can also mean restored morale, wiser structure, cleaner habits, or a more generous distribution of strength.
Why does the Image emphasize emulating the good and correcting faults?
Because increase is not passive luck. The figure asks you to participate in growth by strengthening what works and changing what undermines the whole.
What if Hexagram 42 has changing lines?
Changing lines show whether the increase is modest, overflowing, rightly directed, misused, or already being tested by pride, overreach, or unequal exchange.
Core Meaning
Judgment and image
The Judgment
It furthers one to undertake something. It furthers one to cross the great water.
The Image
Wind and thunder: the image of increase. Thus the superior person: if they see good, they imitate it; if they have faults, they rid themselves of them.
Interpretation and trigrams
Interpretation
A time of abundance flowing downward — those above give to those below. The counsel is to be generous, to act boldly on a clear good, and to use the moment for true betterment. The privileged should notice and emulate what is admirable, and promptly correct their own failings.
Trigrams
The Story
A landowner in a good year found his granaries overflowing. He could have raised the price of grain; the famine was still remembered. Instead he lowered it, sold at cost to the poor, and lent seed to tenants who had none. The next year, when hail ruined his own harvest, those tenants brought him baskets without being asked. "Increase flows downhill," he said, "and if you do not let it flow, it pools and rots. A good year is only good if others remember it kindly." The generous in abundance build the levees that save them in drought.
Why This Story Fits
The parable is written to make Hexagram 42 visible as lived conduct: A time of abundance flowing downward — those above give to those below. It echoes the Image's counsel: the superior person, if they see good, they imitate it; if they have faults, they rid themselves of them. Lower trigram: Thunder. Upper trigram: Wind. Together they set the story's inner and outer weather.
The Six Lines
This list mirrors the figure from top (Sixth) to bottom (First). For interpretation, read from the bottom line upward. Each line shows a different stage of the hexagram's movement.
He brings increase to no one. Indeed, someone even strikes him. He does not keep his heart constantly steady. Misfortune. Refusing to share, one becomes a target; the inconstant are exposed.
If in truth you have a kind heart, ask not. Supreme good fortune. Truly, kindness will be recognised as your merit. Quiet kindness naturally rewarded.
If you walk in the middle and report to the prince, he will follow. It furthers one to be used in the removal of the capital. Wise counsel at the centre earns authority to propose large changes.
One is enriched through unfortunate events. No blame, if you are sincere and walk in the middle, and report with a seal to the prince. Even misfortunes may become gains; handle with transparency.
Someone does indeed increase him. Ten pairs of tortoises cannot oppose it. Constant perseverance brings good fortune. The king presents him before God. Good fortune. A great undeniable blessing, received with humility.
It furthers one to accomplish great deeds. Supreme good fortune. No blame. Receiving help from above, act accordingly on a large scale.