Hexagram 46
Pushing Upward
升
Upper
Earth · 坤
the receptive, yielding
Lower
Wind · 巽
the gentle, penetrating
Contemporary judgment
Pushing upward. Steady, unforced growth. The effort does not strain because the pace is correct. Small, regular movements accumulate into something substantial. This is not a time for dramatic leaps; the tree does not hurry, and yet it reaches the sky.
Image
Wood growing within the earth. The superior person devotes themselves to their character and heaps up small things in order to achieve the high and great.
Counsel
Keep going at a pace you can sustain. Do not chase shortcuts; they are almost always an illusion at this stage. Small disciplines, kept daily, are how real ascents are made. Trust the quiet accumulation. You are further along than you can see.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A six at the beginning means: Pushing upward that meets with trust brings great good fortune.
Line 2
A nine in the second place means: If one is truthful, it is favorable to bring a small sacrifice. No blame.
Line 3
A nine in the third place means: One pushes upward into an empty city.
Line 4
A six in the fourth place means: The king offers him to Mount Ch'i. Good fortune. No blame.
Line 5
A six in the fifth place means: Perseverance brings good fortune. One pushes upward by steps.
Line 6
A six at the top means: Pushing upward in darkness. It is favorable to be unremittingly persevering.
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.