# Hexagram 42: Increase

Canonical page: https://thefreeiching.com/library/42
Last updated: 2026-10-07

```
━━━━━━━
━━━━━━━
━━━  ━━━
━━━  ━━━
━━━  ━━━
━━━━━━━
```

- **Upper trigram:** [Xun 巽](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/xun), Wind, the gentle, penetrating
- **Lower trigram:** [Zhen 震](https://thefreeiching.com/trigrams/zhen), Thunder, the arousing, movement
- **Lines, bottom to top:** 100011 (1 = solid yang, 0 = broken yin)

## Contemporary judgment

Increase. Favorable forces are with you, supporting forward movement. Use this moment to begin what requires sustained effort; projects planted now receive the wind at their backs. But do not mistake good fortune for personal virtue: the current can shift, and the humble benefit longest.

## Image

Wind and thunder: movement strengthened by movement. The superior person, on seeing what is good, follows it, and on seeing faults, corrects them.

## Counsel

Begin what has been waiting. The path that was blocked yesterday now opens; step onto it with commitment. Share your gains generously: the current strengthens those who circulate it. Be honest with yourself about your faults while the confidence of this moment can sustain the seeing.

## The six lines

*Numbered from the bottom upward. These line texts are read when that line is changing in a cast.*

### Line 1

> A nine at the beginning means:
> It is favorable to accomplish great deeds.
> Sublime good fortune! No blame.

### Line 2

> A six in the second place means:
> Someone does indeed increase them.
> Ten pairs of tortoises cannot resist it.
> Lasting perseverance brings good fortune.
> The king presents them before God. Good fortune!

### Line 3

> A six in the third place means:
> One is increased through ominous events.
> No blame, if you are truthful
> and walk in the middle
> and report to the prince with a seal.

### Line 4

> A six in the fourth place means:
> If you walk in the middle
> and report to the prince,
> he will follow.
> It is favorable to be employed
> in the moving of the capital.

### Line 5

> A nine in the fifth place means:
> If you truly have a kindly heart,
> do not ask. Sublime good fortune!
> Truly kindness will be recognized as your virtue.

### Line 6

> A nine at the top means:
> He brings increase to no one.
> Indeed, someone strikes them.
> They do not hold their heart lastingly firm. Misfortune!

## Related hexagrams

- **Nuclear (lines 2 to 5):** [23 Splitting Apart](https://thefreeiching.com/library/23)
- **Inverse (turned upside down):** [41 Decrease](https://thefreeiching.com/library/41)
- **Opposite (every line flipped):** [32 Duration](https://thefreeiching.com/library/32)

## If one line changes

| Changing line | Relating hexagram |
| --- | --- |
| Line 1 | [20 Contemplation](https://thefreeiching.com/library/20) |
| Line 2 | [61 Inner Truth](https://thefreeiching.com/library/61) |
| Line 3 | [37 The Family](https://thefreeiching.com/library/37) |
| Line 4 | [25 Innocence](https://thefreeiching.com/library/25) |
| Line 5 | [27 Nourishment](https://thefreeiching.com/library/27) |
| Line 6 | [3 Difficulty at the Beginning](https://thefreeiching.com/library/3) |

Previous: [41 Decrease](https://thefreeiching.com/library/41). Next: [43 Breakthrough](https://thefreeiching.com/library/43). [All sixty-four hexagrams](https://thefreeiching.com/library).

*The judgment, image and counsel are original contemporary paraphrases written for The Free I Ching. The line text is the CC0 translation from [jesshewitt/i-ching](https://github.com/jesshewitt/i-ching), derived from Richard Wilhelm's 1924 German edition.*

## Cite this page

The Free I Ching. "Hexagram 42: Increase." https://thefreeiching.com/library/42 (updated 2026-10-07).

*The I Ching is a tool for reflection, not a prediction. Nothing here forecasts events or replaces professional advice. Short quotations with a link back are welcome. Please do not republish a page in full. The open data files at [/data](https://thefreeiching.com/data) are licensed CC BY 4.0.*

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Source: The Free I Ching (https://thefreeiching.com/library/42). The I Ching is a tool for reflection, not a prediction. Nothing here forecasts events or replaces professional advice.