Hexagram 42 of 64
Increase
益 (Yì)
Increase (yì) — overflowing benefit, growth beyond the ordinary
GrowthAs shown in classical I Ching texts
Composition
Upper Trigram
Gentle, penetrating, persistent — gradual influence that goes everywhere
Outer situation / environment
Lower Trigram
Arousing, awakening, shocking — sudden movement from stillness
Inner situation / your state
Interaction
Wind above Thunder — breeze meeting storm. The outer energy of wind shapes the inner disposition of thunder.
Meaning
A time of growth and benefit. Take advantage of this favorable wind to cross the great water.
Classical Judgment
“Increase. It furthers one to undertake something. It furthers one to cross the great water.”
The classical judgment is the original oracle text — the answer the I Ching gives when this hexagram appears.
The Image
Wind and thunder: the image of Increase. The superior one, when they see good, imitates it.
The Image is a nature scene associated with this hexagram — a symbolic picture that distils its essence. In classic texts, meditating on the Image was considered the proper way to absorb the hexagram's teaching.
Nuclear Hexagram
Lines 2–5 of this hexagram form an inner hexagram called the nuclear hexagram. It reveals the hidden seed or underlying dynamic within the situation — what lies at the core beneath the surface.
#23 — Hidden within
Splitting Apart
剝 (Bō) · Dissolution
In a Reading
When hexagram 42 appears in your reading, the I Ching is drawing your attention to the quality of growth. Sit with the Image — “Wind and thunder: the image of Increase” — and consider how this pattern is playing out in your current situation. The Judgment offers the oracle’s direct guidance on how to move with this energy rather than against it.
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