Hexagram 42, Increase: It Only Counts As Gain When It Flows Downward
Hexagram 42, Increase, says it plainly: take from those above and give to those below, and the people rejoice without limit. Cast a reading and read all six lines here.
Hexagram 42, Increase says a gain only deserves the name Increase when it travels from the top downward. The commentary settles it in four characters: take from those above, add to those below.
Today is Wednesday 2 September 2026, the 21st day of the seventh lunar month of the Bing-Wu year, a Ji-Mao day, in the Chu-shu solar term, under the Danger officer. Vietnam is on national holiday.
Most of what people do on a holiday is a matter of dividing shares: time for family, a bonus, the shift roster for whoever stays behind. The I Ching has a hexagram for exactly that.
What does Hexagram 42 mean?
Increase is the 42nd of the 64 hexagrams, with Wind above and Thunder below. The judgement reads: "it furthers one to undertake something, it furthers one to cross the great water."
Its image does not discuss wealth but character: "the superior man, when he sees good, moves toward it; when he has a fault, he corrects it."
Why is taking from above called Increase?
Because the commentary defines the word by direction, not by amount: take from those above and add to those below, and the people rejoice without limit. The same wealth, moved downward, is called Increase; moved upward, it goes by another name.
The I Ching does not ask how much more you received. It asks where that increase flows.
How do Hexagrams 41 and 42 differ?
Hexagram 41, Decrease and Hexagram 42, Increase, are the same figure turned upside down. Decrease takes from below and adds above; Increase takes from above and adds below. Same act of transfer, opposite direction — and the book places them side by side so you cannot miss it.
The curiosity is that Decrease bears the ugly name and the fine judgement, while Increase bears the fine name and closes on an ugly line.
What is strange about the third line?
The third line reads: "increase used for unfortunate affairs, no blame." Unfortunate affairs here means funerals, accidents, famine relief. Wealth newly received only truly settles once it is spent while someone still urgently needs it.
In divination manuals misfortune is usually avoided. Here it is the very thing that makes an unexpected windfall harmless.
Why does Increase end badly?
The top line reads: "no one increases him; someone even strikes him. He does not keep his heart constantly steady. Misfortune." A hexagram named Increase closes on losing everything and being struck.
The reason sits in the phrase about an unsteady heart. The person at the top of Increase who only takes and no longer passes anything down breaks the flow — and the break turns and strikes the one who blocked it.
So what should you do today?
2 September 2026 falls under the Danger officer: no long journeys, no climbing, no risk — a good day to stay home. The Mao branch, Wood, restrains the Ji stem, Earth: big matters cost effort today, small ones still move. To pick a moment more carefully, see what the hour of the stirring heart is.
Whatever you have to share today — a day off, a bonus, a word of praise said in front of others — share it downward. And if something has just come your way, the third line names a very specific use: give it to whoever needs it now. As with revolution also waiting for the right day, dividing a share has its own timing.
FAQ
Is Hexagram 42 favourable?
Favourable overall, but its final line warns the one who only receives.
What does line three say?
Spend a new gain on someone in urgent need and there is no blame.
Which is better, 41 or 42?
Neither: the losing name carries the good judgement, the gaining name the bad line.
*Last updated: 2 September 2026*