Should You Use Connections to Make Money? Gu Hexagram 六五 (Six in the Fifth Place): "不事王侯，高尚其事" (Not Serving Princes and Lords, Holding Your Cause in High Esteem) — True Strength Lies in Earning a Living on Your Own Merit

Have you ever had this kind of confusion?

People around you always say that making money doesn’t depend on ability, but on connections, networks, and background.

Look at so-and-so—their skills are average, but they have connections, so projects come one after another, and they make money easily.

Then look at yourself: you’re quite capable, but you have no background or connections. You work yourself to the bone but still can’t make big money.

You start to wonder—do you really have to rely on connections to make big money? If I have no connections or background, am I doomed to never make money?

Or maybe you’re in another situation—you’ve been chasing connections, building networks, and mingling in circles just to make money. You’ve drunk a lot of alcohol, eaten countless meals, and collected a huge pile of business cards, but very few people have actually helped you. You haven’t made much money, but your health has already been ruined by drinking.

You’re exhausted and confused—is it really worth it to keep going like this?

When it comes to making money, do you really have to rely on connections? How can ordinary people with no connections or background turn their lives around on their own?

The fifth line of the Gu Hexagram, the Six in the Fifth Place, gives you the answer: 「干父之蛊，用誉。」「不事王侯，高尚其事。」

Six in the Fifth Place: Rectifying Long-Standing Malpractices Depends on Reputation, Not Power

The Six in the Fifth Place is the fifth line of the Gu Hexagram. It is a Yin Line in a Yang position, located in the central position of the upper trigram—the position of the ruler.

Logically, since the Six in the Fifth Place is the ruler’s position with the highest status and greatest power, rectifying long-standing malpractices should be the easiest, right?

But what approach does the Six in the Fifth Place take? It doesn’t use power, authority, or forceful suppression. It uses—reputation.

What does "using reputation" mean? It means relying on prestige, public praise, moral character, and the recognition of others.

Why does the Six in the Fifth Place, in such a high position, use reputation instead of power?

Because the Six in the Fifth Place is a Yin Line, which is inherently gentle and not domineering. It knows that when it comes to rectifying long-standing malpractices, relying solely on power to suppress problems won’t work—you can suppress them for a while, but not forever. If you use power to push down a problem today, it will come back tomorrow when someone else takes over.

What truly solves problems well and wins people’s heartfelt respect is your reputation, your moral character, and the way you do things.

If you act with integrity and uprightness, people will see it and remember it. They will naturally respect you and be willing to follow you.

This is what "rectifying the malpractices left by one’s father through reputation" means—rectifying the long-standing problems left by previous generations relies on reputation and moral character, not power and coercion.

And then? "Not serving the princes and lords, holding one’s own cause in high esteem."

What does this sentence mean? It means not currying favor with nobles and powerful people, but holding one’s own work, one’s own principles, and one’s own profession in high regard.

To put it plainly—I don’t rely on connections, background, or sucking up to powerful people. I rely on my own ability, my own profession, and my own integrity to get things done well and stand on my own two feet.

This is truly having backbone.

When applied to making money, what the Six in the Fifth Place teaches is this: you can make money through connections, but the most reliable way is through your own ability. Money made through connections disappears when the connections are gone; money made through ability stays with you forever, because no one can take your skills away.

Why Making Money Through Connections Doesn’t Last Long

Many people think that making money has to rely on connections, networks, and background. Without connections or networks, you can’t make big money at all.

There’s some truth to this—having connections and networks does let you make money, and it might be fast and easy.

But the problem is, money made through connections is unstable.

Connections are changeable. Today, he’s in power, so you can make money; tomorrow, he steps down—what will you do then?

Today, you’re on good terms, so he gives you projects; tomorrow, you have a falling out, and not only does he stop giving you projects, he also makes things difficult for you—what will you do then?

Making money through connections is like building a house on sand. It looks like it goes up fast and tall, but as soon as the wind blows and the rain hits, it collapses just like that.

I’ve seen so many people get rich through a certain connection, and then suffer misfortune because of that same connection.

Easy come, easy go.

And there’s something even more tiring—to maintain connections, you have to attend social events every day, drink every day, and put on a smile for everyone. You make money, but your health breaks down, you can’t take care of your family, and you’re not happy yourself.

Do the math—Is this trade-off worth it?

The Six in the Fifth Place tells you there’s another path: "Not serving the princes and lords, holding one’s own cause in high esteem."

I don’t curry favor with powerful people, I don’t rely on connections, and I don’t have to please anyone. I do my own work well, refine my own profession, and build my own reputation.

Earning a living through your own ability is truly standing tall.

You don’t have to please anyone, you don’t have to drink with anyone, and you don’t have to fear anyone stepping down. Your skills are with you, and no one can take them away.

Wherever you go, you can make money; whatever you do, people will trust you.

This is true stability.

And let’s be honest—when you truly have ability and a good reputation, connections will come to you naturally.

If you’re highly skilled and reliable, people will naturally want to cooperate with you and recommend business to you.

At that point, connections aren’t something you beg for—they’re something you attract. It’s not you clinging to others; it’s others wanting to work with you.

These are healthy, long-lasting connections.

How Ordinary People Can Turn Their Lives Around on Their Own

So how can ordinary people with no connections or background turn their lives around on their own? There are three paths, corresponding to the wisdom of the Six in the Fifth Place.

First, take your profession to the ultimate level.

The biggest asset ordinary people have is their profession, their craft, their ability.

You don’t have to compare your background or networks with others. Just compare this—who has stronger professional skills, who does better work, who is more reliable.

If you take one thing to the ultimate level, to the point where no one can replace you, you become valuable.

For example, if you’re a designer, make your design work the best, so that everyone thinks of you the moment design is mentioned.

If you’re in sales, become the most professional salesperson, so that clients trust you the most.

If you’re in tech, study technology the most thoroughly, so that everyone thinks of you first when there’s a tough problem.

Your profession is your confidence, your moat, your rice bowl.

With strong professional skills, you don’t have to please anyone.

Second, build your reputation.

What does "using reputation" mean? It means relying on prestige and public praise.

At the end of the day, making money isn’t about connections—it’s about reputation.

If you’re reliable, honest, and never cheat or deceive people, everyone who has worked with you will speak highly of you, and your business won’t be bad.

Because reputation spreads. One satisfied client will recommend ten more; ten satisfied clients will recommend a hundred more.

Eventually, you won’t even have to look for clients—they’ll come to you on their own.

This is the power of reputation.

How do you build a good reputation? It’s actually very simple—be more careful with your work, be more honest with people, do what you say, and never cheat or deceive.

It’s that simple, but many people can’t do it.

Because they always want to take shortcuts, make quick money, and do one-off deals.

But you should know that quick money is small money. Building a reputation brings big money, long-lasting money.

Third, stick to your bottom line.

"Not serving the princes and lords, holding one’s own cause in high esteem"—why can you be so firm? Because you have a bottom line, principles, and backbone.

You need to be clear about what money you can make and what money you can’t.

Money you shouldn’t make—no matter how much it is, don’t take it; things you shouldn’t do—no matter how tempting they are, don’t do them.

You might say—isn’t that foolish? Turning down money when it’s right there.

But you should know that many people stumble because they want to make every kind of money. If you make money you shouldn’t have made, you’ll have to pay it back sooner or later—with interest.

If you stick to your bottom line, you might make money slower and less of it, but you’ll sleep peacefully, walk steadily, and go far.

What’s more, having a bottom line is itself a competitive advantage. In today’s world, there are too few reliable people. As long as you’re reliable and have a bottom line, you’ve already surpassed most people.

Others want to cooperate with you, and clients want to hire you, precisely because you’re reliable, you have a bottom line, and people can trust you.

This is the way to long-term success.

Final Thoughts

The Xiang Commentary says: "Rectifying the malpractices of one’s father—ultimately, one receives a mandate through reputation."

Rectifying long-standing malpractices ultimately fulfills its mission through reputation.

Don’t rely on power—rely on reputation; don’t rely on connections—rely on ability; don’t rely on clinging to others—rely on yourself.

"Not serving the princes and lords, holding one’s own cause in high esteem"—I don’t serve powerful people, I don’t curry favor with anyone, and by doing my own work well, I can still stand firm and live well.

This is a kind of backbone, and also a kind of wisdom.

When the Gu Hexagram reaches the Six in the Fifth Place, the outer trigram has reached its central position, and the rectification of malpractices has reached its highest stage. The First Line is the starting point, the Nine in the Second Place is about methods, the Nine in the Third Place is about taking firm action, the Six in the Fourth Place is a negative example—and when you reach the Six in the Fifth Place, it tells you what the highest level of rectification is: using reputation, using moral character, using public praise.

Making money is the same—

At the beginning, you need a marketable skill to support yourself, which corresponds to the First Line;

Then, you need to learn how to interact with people and how to do things properly, which corresponds to the Nine in the Second Place;

After that, you need to be hard on yourself and take your work to the ultimate level, which corresponds to the Nine in the Third Place;

Don’t be lazy, don’t indulge yourself—this corresponds to the Six in the Fourth Place;

In the end, you’ll find that making money doesn’t depend on connections or background—it depends on your profession, your reputation, and your bottom line, which corresponds to the Six in the Fifth Place.

Making money through connections is fast but unstable; making money through ability is slow but solid.

Which one do you choose?

I suggest you choose the latter. Because life isn’t a 100-meter sprint—it’s a marathon. Only those who run steadily can reach the finish line.

Wen Laoshi once said—the biggest backing in a person’s life isn’t someone else—it’s yourself. If you have ability, a good reputation, and a bottom line, you have nothing to fear wherever you go.

May you stand tall and make money through your own ability.