42. Increase
益 · Yì
Wind over Thunder
Trigrams
Nuclear Trigrams (互卦)
Nuclear trigrams are formed from the inner lines of the hexagram (lines 2-3-4 and 3-4-5) and reveal the hidden tendencies of the situation.
Judgment
Increase. It furthers one to undertake something. It furthers one to cross great water. Wind and thunder reinforce each other. This is a time of growth and generosity — distribute wealth and undertake bold initiatives.
Image
Wind and thunder — the image of increase. The superior person, when he sees what is good, imitates it; if he has faults, he rids himself of them.
Interpretation
Hexagram 42, Increase (益, Yì), is one of the most joyful and auspicious hexagrams in the I Ching — a time when genuine growth, real improvement, and substantial development are available in ways that may not always be present. Wind above Thunder: the gentle, penetrating, steady energy of Wind reinforced and amplified by the initiating, awakening power of Thunder. These forces work together in perfect synchrony, each amplifying the other's genuine quality.
The I Ching's counsel in the face of genuine Increase is both encouraging and specific: move forward boldly on what genuinely matters, but do not mistake this auspicious period as license to pursue any and every opportunity that presents itself. The ancient text specifically cautions that even in a time of Increase, crossing the great water (undertaking major enterprises) should be done with genuine sincerity and clear purpose, not mere opportunism.
The image of Increase also carries a profound social dimension: when you are genuinely in a position of increase, this is precisely the moment when genuine generosity — sharing your surplus with those who have less, directing your resources toward genuine need — is both appropriate and auspicious. Increase that is hoarded contracts; Increase that genuinely flows through you from source to those in need creates the conditions for sustained abundance.
Philosophy & Trigram Dynamics
Wind (Xun — gentle, penetrating, wood) above Thunder (Zhen — initiating, moving, spring) creates the image of the great spring wind following after the spring thunder — steady, penetrating growth following initial awakening. In natural terms, this is the period of rapid, genuine growth in early spring: after the thunder of awakening, the wind-driven warmth penetrates everywhere, driving genuine development in all living things.
The nuclear trigrams of Increase are Kun (Earth/Receptivity) below and Gen (Mountain/Keeping Still) — receptive ground beneath still awareness. This hidden dynamic reveals that genuine increase, despite its apparently dynamic surface, is rooted in something quiet and receptive. The most sustainable growth is always rooted in this quality of receptive steadiness — not frantic expansion but organic development from a genuinely stable base.
The philosophical contrast with Decrease (41) is instructive: where Decrease teaches the paradox of gain through giving, Increase teaches the paradox of authentic abundance through genuine circulation. The Daoist understanding of increase parallels the understanding of rivers: those that flow through and give to the land they pass through receive the constant replenishment of their source; those that only collect and never flow become stagnant.
Practical Guidance
❤ In Love & Relationships
In relationship contexts, Increase is highly auspicious — it signals a period when genuine growth, deepening, and authentic development of the relationship are naturally available. This is a time to actively invest in the relationship: make commitments, create new shared experiences, deepen communication, and take the steps that move the relationship genuinely forward. The conditions are particularly favorable for this kind of intentional investment.
For those seeking love, Increase is one of the most positive hexagrams — it suggests that what you genuinely are is now in natural alignment with what the people you want to attract genuinely need. There is no need for strategy or calculated self-presentation; simply show up fully and generously as who you genuinely are. Genuine increase in love, like genuine increase in all things, flows from authentic expression rather than strategic management.
◆ In Career & Business
This is one of the most auspicious hexagrams for professional matters — it specifically depicts genuine expansion, real opportunity, and the natural growth of what has been genuinely developed. Move forward boldly on your most important professional initiatives during this period. The conditions are genuinely favorable for growth.
The specific counsel about genuine sincerity also applies professionally: use this period of genuine increase to pursue what genuinely matters to you, not merely what appears to be the most advantageous opportunity. Increase pursued with genuine purpose and aligned with your authentic direction creates lasting professional development; increase pursued merely for its own sake or out of opportunism tends to create complexity without genuine advancement.
✦ Health & Energy
Increase in health contexts is straightforwardly auspicious: it signals a period of genuine vitality, real healing potential, and the availability of resources for substantial health improvement. This is an excellent time to undertake ambitious health initiatives — intensive healing programs, significant lifestyle changes, or the beginning of a serious practice that requires sustained effort.
The wind-and-thunder structure suggests that the best health initiatives for this period combine the initiating, energizing quality of Thunder (perhaps an ambitious fitness goal or intensive healing program) with the steady, penetrating persistence of Wind (the consistent daily practices that create genuine long-term change). Neither alone is as powerful as both together; find the combination that creates genuine, sustainable improvement.
The Sage's Counsel
The primary practical counsel of Increase is simultaneously simple and demanding: move boldly and genuinely in the direction of what genuinely matters to you, and share your genuine surplus with those who need it. Both of these actions — bold authentic advance and genuine generous giving — are auspicious at this time and will reinforce each other in ways that may surprise you.
The specific caution: do not allow the energy of increase to scatter your focus across too many opportunities simultaneously. The wind and thunder of this hexagram move in a specific direction; they are not a general license for expansion in all directions. Identify what genuinely matters most, direct the full energy of this auspicious period there, and give generously from your genuine surplus to support what is most needed around you.
Historical Context
Hexagram 42 follows Decrease (41) in the I Ching's central philosophical pair. The commentaries describe these two hexagrams as the axis around which the whole second half of the I Ching revolves: decrease and increase, giving and receiving, empty and full. The sequence teaching is that genuine increase always follows genuine decrease — that the willingness to give up what is not essential creates the conditions for genuine increase of what is most essential.
The social and political dimension of Increase is prominent in the commentary: the sage-ruler who distributes excess to those in need during times of abundance creates the loyalty and social health that will sustain the state through future difficulty. This historical context reminds us that genuine increase is always a social phenomenon — it flows through the individual from larger sources and through the individual to larger needs.
Related Hexagrams
Explore Other Practices
Frequently Asked Questions
What does hexagram 42 Increase mean in I Ching?
Hexagram 42 Increase (益, Yì) is one of the most auspicious hexagrams — it signals a genuine period of growth, real opportunity, and the natural development of what has been genuinely cultivated. The counsel is to move boldly in the direction of what genuinely matters and to share your genuine surplus generously. Both bold advance and genuine generosity are auspicious in this period.
How should I respond when I receive hexagram 42 in a reading?
When Increase appears: identify your most important genuine priorities and invest fully in them during this favorable period; share your genuine surplus (time, resources, knowledge, energy) with those who genuinely need it; and move forward boldly with major initiatives that are aligned with your authentic direction. Do not scatter your focus across too many directions simultaneously.
What does hexagram 42 mean for love and relationships?
In love, Increase is highly auspicious — it signals natural deepening and genuine growth in existing relationships, and high natural attractiveness and alignment for those seeking new connection. Simply show up fully and generously as who you genuinely are; the conditions are favorable for authentic connection to develop naturally and substantially.
What hexagrams are related to hexagram 42 Increase?
Hexagram 42's direct inverse pair (綜卦) is hexagram 41 (Decrease) — together they form the fundamental dynamic of genuine circulation: what decreases in one place increases in another. Its nuclear hexagram is 23 (Splitting Apart), revealing that hidden within genuine increase is always the challenge of what must be released. Its reversed hexagram is 41 (Decrease).
Is hexagram 42 always positive? Are there any cautions?
Increase is genuinely auspicious, but with specific cautions: the growth it signals works only when pursued with genuine sincerity and authentic purpose. Opportunistic expansion pursued merely because opportunity appears — without genuine alignment with what you most deeply value — tends to create complexity without genuine advancement. Also: times of increase are precisely when genuine generosity is most auspicious; hoarding increase tends to contract it.
I Ching Reading in Pandorium
True quantum randomness for authentic divination
Try for free