In love
In a couple, Yi describes a time of shared growth: plans together, mutual generosity, and attention to whoever gives the most.
Hexagram 42
I Ching hexagram 42: Increase (Yi)
Yi means increase, shared growth: a favorable momentum that benefits everyone, to be used without holding it back.
- growth
- generosity
- momentum
The essentials
Yi at a glance
For you, Yi describes a supportive moment: the momentum is there, and it grows further when you share it.
A strength
A moment when efforts pay off, and when you can undertake something large with the help of your supports.
Something to watch
Keeping for yourself what came from elsewhere: an increase that is not shared eventually dries up.
- What it advises
- Undertake while the momentum is there, share what comes to you, and use the occasion to correct what needs it.
- Its opposite
- 32. Duration (Heng)
The situation
Yi places Thunder beneath Wind: two forces that reinforce each other. The upper strips itself to give to the lower, and the whole prospers. The Judgment finds every undertaking profitable, even crossing the great river.
The hexagram speaks of growth that circulates: what arrives from above is meant to come back down. Those who benefit are also the ones who make what follows possible.
It invites you to seize the opportunity to undertake something, to share resources, and to use the momentum to correct what needs correcting. The more meaning you give to what you receive, the more the dynamic sustains itself.
The image: Wind above Thunder
- AboveWind: gentleness that penetrates
- BelowThunder: the shock that awakens
Thunder beneath Wind: two forces that feed each other. For the Great Image, when you see good, you move toward it; when you discover a fault in yourself, you correct it.
Consult the I Ching
Throw three coins six times: your hexagram, the lines that change, and the direction they point to.
Free, no account · nothing is sent · no predictions
The six lines
- 1st line (bottom) · solidAn opportunity for a great undertaking: if you answer it, the good fortune is great and fault is ruled out. The momentum is offered, it is up to you to use it.
- 2nd line · brokenTen pairs of tortoise shells that cannot be refused: perseverance is fortunate, and the king offers these gifts to the Supreme Being.
- 3rd line · brokenAn increase that passes through what annoys in order to lead to the good: stay sincere and follow the middle way, like the officer who presents himself to his prince with the badge of his rank.
- 4th line · brokenFollowing the middle path: your counsel to the prince is heard. People can lean on you even to move a capital.
- 5th line · solidA sincere heart that seeks to do good: no need to ask, the great good fortune is there, and everyone acknowledges the kindness.
- 6th line (top) · solidNo one brings help, many attack: a heart with no fixed rule leads to an unfortunate outcome. Greed turns the momentum against you.
Yi in your life
At work
For current projects, Yi favors expansion and initiatives: launch, recruit, invest, with solid supports and an honest sharing of the fruits.
The I Ching helps you reflect on how to act: it does not say what is coming.
How is it built?
- Character
- 益 (yì)
- Number
- 42 in the King Wen sequence
- Trigrams
- Wind (巽) above, Thunder (震) below
- Inner hexagram
- 23. Splitting Apart (Bo) (lines 2 to 4 and 3 to 5)
- Read upside down
- 41. Decrease (Sun)
- Symbol
- ䷩ (U+4DE9)
The English names are the usual renderings of the Chinese characters; the texts rely on the Chinese and on early public-domain translations (Legge, 1882; Philastre, 1885–1893).
Sources
- Wikipedia (English), “List of hexagrams of the I Ching,” read on October 15, 2026: numbers, characters, pinyin, lower and upper trigrams.
- Wikipedia (English), “Bagua,” read on October 15, 2026: lines of the eight trigrams, from bottom to top.
- James Legge (1815–1897), The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East, vol. XVI, 1882 (Wikisource): public domain.
- Paul-Louis-Félix Philastre (1837–1902), Le Yi King ou Livre des changements de la dynastie des Tsheou, Annales du Musée Guimet, 1885–1893: public domain (the author died more than 70 years ago).
Frequently asked questions about hexagram 42
What does I Ching hexagram 42 mean?
Hexagram 42, Yi, means increase: a time of favorable growth, in which you receive and share so that the momentum continues.
What is the difference between Yi 42 and Yi 27?
The two sound similar in pinyin but are written with two different characters. Number 27 speaks of nourishment, number 42 of increase. The number removes all ambiguity.