Hexagram 46

升 Shēng

Pushing Upward

☷ Earth above ☴ Wind

Judgment 卦辭

元亨。用見大人。勿恤。南征吉。

升shēngadvancement, ascent, step, climb upwards
元yuánfirst-rate, supreme, excellent
亨hēngfulfillment, satisfaction, success
用yònguseful, practical, productive
見jiànto see, encounter, meet with, consult
大dàmature, complete, realized, great
人rénhuman being, character, one, person, man
勿wùdo not, don't
恤xùworry, suffer; be anxious, concerned
南nánsouth, southern, southerly
征zhēngexpedition; to advance, go boldly forward
吉jípromising, auspicious, opportune, timely

Commentary

Supreme success. One must see the great man. Fear not. Departure toward the south brings good fortune. Pushing upward encounters no obstruction and is accompanied by great success. This is made possible not by violence but by modesty and adaptability. Borne along by favorable time, you advance. Go to see authoritative people without fear—success is assured. But you must set to work; activity brings good fortune.

Classical Text

升巽下坤上 升，元亨，用見大人，勿恤。 南征吉。

Sheng (Ascending). Xun below, Kun above. Ascending. Sublime Beginning and Success. It is beneficial to see a great person; do not worry. An expedition to the south brings good fortune.

Image 象

地中生木，升。君子以順德，積小以高大。

Within the earth, wood grows upward without haste and without rest, adapting to obstacles and bending around them. The person of devoted character heaps up small things to achieve something high and great. Never pause in your progress.

Lines 爻辭

1

允升大吉

允yǔnwelcome, allowed, granted, well-favored
升shēngadvance, ascent, promotion; to step up
大dàmuch, great, full of, a lot of; very
吉jípromise, hope, opportunity; promising

Pushing upward that meets with confidence brings great good fortune. Just as wood draws strength from its root in the lowest place, power to rise comes from this low and obscure station. Spiritual affinity with those above creates the confidence needed to accomplish something.

Classical commentary

初六，允升，大吉。

Initial Six. Sincerely ascending—great good fortune.

2

孚乃利用禴

孚fúsincerity; confidence, trust, assurance
乃nǎiis, comes before, precedes; first, and then
利lìthe real worth, merit, reward, gain
用yòngin, when offering, presenting, dedicating
禴yuèthe modest, sparing spring sacrifice

If sincere, it furthers one to bring even a small offering. No blame. A strong person who doesn't fit the environment—too brusque, pays too little attention to form. But upright in character, you meet with response. The lack of outward form does no harm when uprightness is genuine.

Classical commentary

九二，孚乃利用禴，无咎。

Nine in the Second. If there is sincerity, then it is beneficial to perform the Yue sacrifice—no blame.

3

升虛邑

升shēngadvancing on, upon; acquiring
虛xūempty, unoccupied, vacant, ghost-
邑yìtown, village, settlement, district

Pushing upward into an empty city. Obstructions fall away. Things proceed with remarkable ease. Profit from this success—but no promise of good fortune is added. How long can unobstructed success last? Don't yield to such misgivings; they only inhibit power. Profit from the propitious time.

Classical commentary

九三，升虛邑。

Nine in the Third. Ascending into an empty city.

4

王用亨于岐山吉無咎

王wángthe sovereign, king, ruler
用yòngwill make, present, offer, perform
亨hēngoffering(s), sacrifice(s) (of xiang)
于yúto, by, on, at, beside
岐qíSplit, Forked, Twin; Qi
山shānMountain; Mount
吉jípromising, auspicious, opportune, timely
無wúnot(hing) (is); no harm; no wrong
咎jiùwrong; making a mistake(s); doing wrong

The king offers him Mount Ch'i. Good fortune. No blame. Pushing upward attains its goal. Fame acquired in the sight of gods and men. Received into the circle of those who foster the spiritual life of the nation. Significance that endures beyond time.

Classical commentary

六四，王用亨於岐山，吉，无咎。

Six in the Fourth. The king makes offerings at Mount Qi—good fortune, no blame.

5

貞吉升階

貞zhēnpersistence, determination, resolve, focus
吉jípromising, auspicious, opportune, timely
升shēngthe advance; move up, ascend, climb
階jiēby in steps, degrees, grades, stages

Persistence brings good fortune. Pushing upward by steps. Advancing further, don't become intoxicated by success. Remain sober; don't skip stages. Go slowly, step by step, as though hesitant. Only such calm, steady progress, overleaping nothing, leads to the goal.

Classical commentary

六五，貞吉，升階。

Six in the Fifth. Correctness brings good fortune—ascending the stairs.

6

冥升利于不息之貞

冥míngthe blind, dark, obscure, dim
升shēngadvance, ascent, climb
利lìworthwhile; advantage, profit, reward
于yúto; in, by, when, through
不bùnot being; avoiding, doing without
息xīlaxity; relax(ed, ing, ation); quit, rest
之zhīin, about one's, such, this, that
貞zhēnpersistence, determination, resolve, focus

Pushing upward in darkness. It furthers one to be unremittingly persistent. Pushing upward blindly deludes you. Knowing only advance, not retreat, means exhaustion. Be constantly mindful of conscientiousness and consistency. Only thus do you become free of blind impulse.

Classical commentary

上六，冥升，利于不息之貞。

Top Six. Ascending in darkness—it is beneficial to maintain the correctness of ceaseless effort.