Cui Hexagram 94: Why Higher Positions Demand Leaving Room for Others

1. The Meaning of the Line Text

The Nine in the Fourth Place of the Gathering Together Hexagram (Cui) states: "Supreme Good Fortune, No blame."

Just four characters, but they carry immense weight. "Supreme Good Fortune" means extremely auspicious. "No blame" means no faults, no errors.

Among all six lines of the Gathering Together Hexagram, the line text for the Nine in the Fourth Place is the most positive. Why? Because this position is the "position close to the ruler" — it sits very near the highest Nine in the Fifth Place, yet does not occupy the very top spot. It has strength, resources, and connections, but does not face the isolation that comes with being at the absolute peak like the Nine in the Fifth Place.

More critically, the Nine in the Fourth Place sits above the lower trigram and below the upper trigram, acting as a bridge between the two. It connects the three yin lines below (representing the masses, resources, and connections) with the Nine in the Fifth Place above (representing leadership and the core).

Thus, the role of the Nine in the Fourth Place is "gathering people" — bringing people together, integrating resources, and linking the upper and lower levels.

Why does the Nine in the Fourth Place bring "Supreme Good Fortune"? Because it can hold people together. It makes others willing to follow it, cooperate with it, and entrust it with their resources.

And why can it hold people together? Because it knows how to leave room for others.

2. The Core of Gathering People Is Sharing Benefits

Many people don’t understand: why do some people always have a crowd around them, while others are all alone?

It’s not because they are super rich, super capable, or super famous. It’s because they know how to share.

Think about it: no matter how capable someone is, if they hoard all the benefits for themselves, who would follow them? If there’s nothing to gain from following you, and only trouble to get into, why would anyone bother?

Conversely, if someone is only moderately capable, but following them means getting a share of the rewards, benefits, and a seat at the table — people will naturally want to follow them.

The essence of gathering people is sharing benefits. When you give out benefits, people will flock to you; when you cling tight to every benefit, people will drift away.

The "Supreme Good Fortune" of the Nine in the Fourth Place comes precisely from sharing benefits. When it integrates the resources below, it does not hoard them all for itself — it distributes them to everyone, to those above, and to those below. Since everyone benefits, they are all naturally willing to cooperate with it.

How far a person can go depends on how much they are willing to share. The more you share, the more people you gather; the more people you gather, the further you can go.

3. Three Levels of Leaving Room for Others

"Leaving room for others" is not simply about giving up profits. It has three levels.

Level 1: Leaving Benefits

The most basic level is the transfer of benefits.

When you make money, don’t keep it all to yourself — share it with everyone. When there are perks, don’t claim them all alone — distribute them to the team. When you have resources, don’t hoard them all — share them openly.

You might think, "I worked hard for this, why should I share it with others?" But you need to think clearly: if you don’t share, others will either take it themselves, or just leave.

Rather than having things taken from you or being abandoned, it’s better to share proactively. When you share, you keep people around — and you’ll end up making even more money in the long run.

Level 2: Leaving Opportunities

A higher level than sharing benefits is leaving opportunities.

When opportunities come up, don’t take them all for yourself — give some to the people below you. When there are projects, don’t handle them all alone — let team members try their hand. When there are positions open, don’t occupy them all yourself — make way for younger people.

When you give others opportunities, they can grow; when others grow, they can help you take on bigger things.

Someone who can only do the work themselves is, at best, a good employee. Someone who can give others opportunities and help them grow is a true leader.

Level 3: Leaving Face

The highest level is leaving "face" — preserving others’ dignity.

To leave someone face means not embarrassing them in public, not backing them into a corner, not putting them in a position where they can’t recover their dignity.

Even if the other person is in the wrong, talk to them privately instead of criticizing them publicly. Even if you have to turn someone down, give them a way out so they don’t feel humiliated.

People care about more than just benefits — they care about their dignity too. When you preserve someone’s face, they will go all out for you.

4. Why So Many People Can’t Do It

For all that’s been said, many people still can’t bring themselves to do this. Why?

First: Fear of Losing Out

"If I share, what if the other person takes it and doesn’t appreciate it?" "If I give up some profits, what if they keep demanding more and more?"

This mindset comes from assuming the worst of people.

But think about it: most people you meet are reasonable. If you treat them well, chances are they’ll treat you well in return. If you share benefits with them, chances are they’ll pay you back.

Even if you run into one or two ungrateful people, that’s a small minority. Is it worth pushing away the majority just to guard against those few?

Second: Too Small a Mindset

Some people have very narrow horizons, fixated only on the immediate benefits right in front of them.

They think, "If I earn a little less right now, I’m losing out." But they don’t consider, "If I share a little, I can gather more people, and earn much more later."

People who only count small gains will never make big money. Big money comes from counting the big picture, from having a broad mindset.

Third: Lack of Confidence

Some people don’t dare to share because they lack confidence. They think, "Besides these little benefits, I have nothing else to keep people around."

So they cling tight to those small benefits, terrified that if they let go, everyone will run away.

But truly charismatic people don’t keep others around with benefits. They do it with their character, their mindset, and the sense of purpose that makes others feel like following them leads somewhere.

The more secure you feel, the more you dare to share; the more you dare to share, the more people you attract; the more people you attract, the more secure you feel. It’s a positive cycle.

5. Three Tips for Modern People

1. When Making Money, Think About Making It Together

When you have a way to make money, or a money-making opportunity, don’t keep quiet and hoard all the gains — bring the people around you in on it.

The more people you bring in, the wider your paths become; the wider your paths, the more you’ll earn.

Joy shared is better than joy hoarded — and money earned together is better than money earned alone.

2. When Moving Up, Think About Lifting Others Up Too

When you get a promotion, or find success, don’t pull the ladder up behind you — turn around and give a hand to the people still below.

The people you pull up will be your people down the line; the people you step on will be your enemies down the line.

The more people you lift up, the stronger your foundation becomes.

3. When You Have Good Things, Think About Sharing Them

When you have great resources, great connections, or great experience, don’t hide them away — share them.

What you share will turn into your influence, your reputation, your intangible assets.

Sharing is not losing — it’s another form of gaining.

6. Final Thoughts

What the Nine in the Fourth Place of the Gathering Together Hexagram teaches us is mindset.

The higher your position, the more you need to know how to leave room for others; the greater your ability, the more you need to know how to share benefits with others.

Whether a person can achieve great things doesn’t depend on how many people they can gather — it depends on how long capable people are willing to follow them.

When you leave room for others, others will leave room for you; when you give others a way forward, others will give you a way forward too.

"Supreme Good Fortune, No blame" — that’s exactly the principle behind it.

How big your stage is depends on how big your mindset is.