Jia Ren Hexagram 6th Line 4: True Family Wealth Isn’t Just Money — It’s Unity That Makes a Rich Home

When you hear the phrase "a wealthy family,"

what's the first thing that pops into your head?

A big house, a fancy car,

tons of savings, no money worries?

A lot of people think

a wealthy family

just means a family with money.

If you've got money,

you've got a wealthy family.

But think about it carefully—

in real life,

there are plenty of

families with money,

but families that truly deserve

the label "prosperous"

don't seem all that common.

Some families

have no shortage of cash,

but the husband and wife each do their own thing,

the kids aren't close to them,

and the house feels cold and empty—

more like a hotel

than a home.

Is that a wealthy family?

At best, it's just a rich family.

Other families

don't have much money,

but the whole household

gets along harmoniously,

looks out for each other,

and supports one another.

Life may not be lavish,

but it's full of flavor

and feels steady at heart.

Is that a wealthy family?

I think it counts.

The "wealthy family" talked about in the Fourth Line of The Family Hexagram

means exactly this—

a wealthy family isn't

just about having money.

It's about everyone being of one mind,

life thriving,

and the whole family doing well.

That's what a truly wealthy family is.

"A Wealthy Family, Supreme Good Fortune": Wealth Isn't Just About Money

The Fourth Line is the

fourth line of The Family Hexagram.

It is a Yin Line in a yin position,

located below the upper trigram Xun / The Gentle.

Its position is proper,

and its conduct is gentle and compliant—

it's the role in the family that manages finances

and takes charge of internal affairs.

The Line Text is just four characters:

「富家，大吉。」 (Fu jia, da ji — A wealthy family, supreme good fortune.)

The literal meaning is simple—

the family is prosperous,

and there is great good fortune.

But this saying

isn't that straightforward.

Why not just say

"a family with vast wealth, great fortune"

or "gold and jade filling the hall, great fortune"?

Why specifically say "wealthy family"?

Because this "wealth"

isn't just material wealth.

It's also spiritual wealth,

wealth in relationships,

and wealth in people's hearts.

What is a wealthy family?

There are three layers of meaning.

First layer:

material abundance.

This is the most intuitive—

the family has money,

no worries about food and clothing,

a place to live,

security,

and can come up with cash

when problems arise.

This is the foundation;

without a material foundation,

everything else is empty talk.

Second layer:

unity of heart.

The whole family is of one mind,

pulling in the same direction,

discussing things together,

no internal fighting,

no undermining each other.

No matter how much money you have,

if people's hearts are scattered,

the family can't stay wealthy—

sooner or later it'll all be wasted.

If money is tight

but everyone is united,

little by little

you can build a thriving life.

Third layer:

having something to strive for.

The whole family has

shared goals

and shared hopes.

Saving up to buy a house?

Raising the kids well?

Keeping the whole family healthy?

With something to strive for,

life has flavor,

and no matter how hard or tiring it is, it's worth it.

Without something to strive for,

no matter how much money you have,

life feels meaningless.

The Xiang Commentary says:

「富家大吉，顺在位也。」 (Fu jia da ji, shun zai wei ye — A wealthy family, supreme good fortune, because one is gentle and compliant in one's proper position.)

Why is a wealthy family a sign of great fortune?

Because the Fourth Line

is gentle and compliant in its proper place—

managing what it should manage,

not overstepping into what it shouldn't,

staying in its own lane.

Naturally, the family

becomes more and more prosperous.

Put simply,

a wealthy family isn't

one person's job—

it's the whole family's job.

No matter how good you are at making money on your own,

if your family

doesn't cooperate,

isn't on the same page,

and squanders money recklessly,

your wealth won't last.

Only when the whole family works together,

thinking with one mind

and pulling in the same direction,

can the family

truly become wealthy.

Many Families Get Richer, But Less "Wealthy"

I don't know if you've

noticed a pattern—

some families

are pretty great when they don't have money:

husband and wife are united,

they support each other,

and life is hard

but has direction.

Then when they get money,

problems start popping up instead.

Why does this happen?

Because they only enriched

their material lives,

not their spiritual lives;

they only filled their pockets,

not their hearts.

There are three common pitfalls

that many wealthy families fall into.

First pitfall:

getting cocky once you have money.

A man makes a bit of money,

thinks he's hot stuff,

stops caring about family matters,

pays no attention to his wife and kids,

and spends every day out

schmoozing, drinking, and living it up.

He thinks since he's the one making money,

he's the boss

and everyone has to do what he says.

As for the woman,

once she has money she starts

buying everything in sight,

constantly comparing herself to others,

and picking fights over nothing.

She figures since there's money anyway,

she can do whatever makes her happy.

The result?

They've got money,

but their love is gone,

and the family falls apart.

Second pitfall:

money matters

that never get sorted out.

When you're broke,

since no one has money,

there's nothing to fight about.

When you have money,

problems show up—

Whose money is this?

You make more, so why should I be in charge of it?

My parents need money—why do you get to say no?

The more money you have, the more people calculate and scheme,

and the more the relationship fades.

Third pitfall:

screwing up your kids' education.

When you're broke,

you still know

you need to let your kids

endure hardship, be sensible,

and rely on themselves.

When you have money,

you start thinking

you can't let your kid

suffer any grievances,

so you give them everything they want.

The result is the kid grows up

spoiled rotten,

lazy and gluttonous,

with no skills or sense of responsibility.

No matter how much money you save up,

it won't be enough for them to waste.

Put simply,

the "wealth" of many families

is superficial wealth,

temporary wealth,

wealth of money alone—

not a truly wealthy family.

A truly wealthy family

has money,

harmony among its members,

unity of heart,

and a life with direction.

Missing any one of these,

it's not true wealth.

What Counts as a Truly "Wealthy Family"? Three Standards

So how do you make your family

truly wealthy?

It's not about making more money—

it's about doing three things well.

First thing:

money should be earned together

and managed together.

Making money isn't

one person's job,

and managing money isn't

one person's job either.

Everyone does what they're good at:

whoever's good at making money

focuses on that,

whoever's good at managing money

handles that.

Divide the work, cooperate,

and discuss things with each other.

Don't think

just because you make more money

you call all the shots.

And don't think

just because you manage the money

you hold all the power.

A family belongs to both partners,

and the money belongs to both too.

Only with mutual discussion

can prosperity last long.

Second thing:

life should be lived together,

and relationships should be nurtured together.

Don't get so caught up in making money

that you neglect your family.

You can never make all the money there is to make,

but your kids only grow up once,

your marriage needs care and attention,

and your elderly parents have less and less time left.

Spend more time with your family—

eat more meals together,

chat more,

go out for walks together.

These things don't make you money,

but they're more important than making money.

Because when you're old,

you won't look back and remember how much money you made—

you'll remember the days

you spent with your family.

Third thing:

family values must be upright,

and kids must be raised well.

Whether a family can stay wealthy for three generations

depends on the kids.

If your kids are well-educated,

they can hold onto what you leave them

and even build on it.

If your kids aren't well-educated,

no matter how much money you leave them,

it won't be enough for them to squander.

What are good family values?

Diligence and frugality, steadiness,

integrity, and a sense of responsibility.

These things

are far more valuable than money.

Money can be spent away,

but good family values

can be passed down for generations.

Wen Laoshi often says:

small wealth comes from diligence,

medium wealth comes from virtue,

great wealth comes from fate.

For an ordinary family

wanting to be a "wealthy family,"

you don't need to be filthy rich.

Earn money diligently,

live harmoniously,

and raise your kids well—

that's enough.

That is supreme good fortune.

Final Thoughts

The Fourth Line of The Family Hexagram

is just four characters:

富家，大吉。 (Fu jia, da ji — A wealthy family, supreme good fortune.)

But the weight of these four characters

is heavier than you think.

A wealthy family isn't

just about how much money

is in your bank account.

It's about whether the whole family

is of one mind,

whether life is going smoothly,

and whether there's something to strive for.

Money is the foundation,

but it's not everything.

You can't get by without money,

but having only money

is useless too.

In this life,

being able to build a thriving little life for yourself,

and making your family's lives better

because you're in them—

that's the greatest success of all.

Remember:

for a wealthy family,

enrich people's hearts first,

then fill your pockets.

When people's hearts are united,

money will come little by little.

When people's hearts are scattered,

no amount of money

can be kept safe.