Sheng Hexagram 6th 4th Line: After Success, Don’t Forget to Thank Those Who Deserve It

1. The Meaning of the Line Text

The Six in the Fourth Place of the Sheng (Pushing Upward) hexagram states: "The king offers sacrifice on Mount Qi; good fortune, no blame."

"King" refers to the ruler. "Offering sacrifice" means to perform ritual offerings and pay homage. "Mount Qi" is the birthplace of the Zhou dynasty, the ancestral foundation of the Zhou people.

The full meaning is: The ruler holds a sacrifice on Mount Qi to honor ancestors and heaven and earth; it is auspicious and free of fault.

What is this line about? It is about gratitude.

The Six in the Fourth Place has already risen to a high position, with a successful career and esteemed status. But the line text reminds it: Do not forget to "offer sacrifice on Mount Qi" — do not forget where you come from, who has helped you, and to thank those who have made you who you are.

The higher you climb, the more you should look back at the path you have taken.

2. Why Gratitude Matters So Much

Many people think gratitude is just a moral requirement, a formality, or empty polite words.

But in fact, gratitude is a form of wisdom.

Gratitude Helps You Go Further

Only when you know how to be grateful will others be willing to help you.

People who have helped you will think, "This person repays kindness; helping him is worth it." People who haven't helped you yet will think, "This person is worth investing in; helping him later will bring returns."

As a result, more and more people help you, and your path becomes wider and wider.

Conversely, for ungrateful people, those who have helped them feel let down, and those who haven't stay wary. In the end, no one is willing to help them anymore.

Gratitude is an investment — in your connections and reputation.

Gratitude Keeps You Grounded

Grateful people know how they got to where they are, and what they relied on to get there.

They don't feel they were born to stand at the top; they know they climbed up step by step, with the support of many people along the way.

This level of self-awareness keeps them from becoming arrogant, lost, or suffering a harsh fall.

Only when you know who you are and where you come from can you walk steadily.

Gratitude Brings You Inner Peace

This is the most essential point.

Grateful people have warm, steady hearts. They know they are not fighting alone; they know they are loved and supported.

Ungrateful people, on the other hand, have empty, cold hearts. They have gained a lot, but they are not happy, because they always take others' kindness for granted.

In the end, gratitude nourishes yourself.

3. Who Should You Be Grateful To?

Thank Those Who Have Helped You

This is the most straightforward.

Remember those who helped you when you were in trouble, who guided you when you were lost, who supported you when you were dismissed.

You don't have to talk about it every day, but keep it in your heart. When you have the chance, repay them; when you don't, at least don't forget.

People who offer help in your hour of need deserve more gratitude than those who only add to your success when things are already going well.

Thank Those Who Gave You Opportunities

It is also rare to find someone willing to give you a chance, a platform, or their trust.

Everyone has ability, but not everyone is given opportunities. Those who give you a chance are actually betting their resources on you.

When you succeed, don't forget them.

People who give you opportunities are worth remembering for a lifetime.

Thank Your "Rivals" and "Hardships"

This may seem counterintuitive, but it is very important.

People who trip you up, who make things difficult for you, and setbacks that make you suffer — they also shape you.

They make you stronger, more resilient, and wiser. Without them, you might still be the naive, fragile version of yourself.

Thanking those who have hurt you is not about forgiveness — it is about you having grown up.

Thank Your Family

The people we most easily overlook are often the ones we should thank the most.

Your family silently supports you, takes care of you, and waits for you to come home. You have been so busy climbing up that you may not have properly said thank you to them in a long time.

Family is your last line of support, and the people you should thank the most.

4. How to Practice Gratitude the Right Way

Don't Just Say It With Words

The words "thank you" can come too cheap. If you are truly grateful, you need to show it through action.

Lend a hand when someone who helped you is in trouble; step up when someone who gave you a chance needs help; stay by your family's side when they need you.

Action is the best language of gratitude.

Don't Be Grateful Out of Self-Interest

Some people are selective with their gratitude — they thank people who are useful to them, and ignore those who are not.

This is not gratitude; it is opportunism.

True gratitude makes no distinction between high and low status. You remember everyone who has been kind to you.

Gratitude driven by heavy self-interest is transparent to others at a glance.

Don't Let Gratitude Become a Burden

Gratitude is not about carrying a lifetime of debt of favor, or feeling inferior to others.

Gratitude is keeping it in your heart and repaying when the time is right, not constantly bowing and scraping, or reminding yourself every moment who you owe.

Gratitude is a state of mind, not a burden.

5. Three Reminders for Those Who Are "Moving Too Fast"

1. Pause and Look Back

You may have been moving so fast that you have forgotten the path you came from.

Pause and think: Who has helped you? Who stayed with you during your hardest times? Who gave you your first opportunity?

When you remember, go thank them.

No matter how far you go, never forget why you started in the first place.

2. When You Succeed, Don't Abandon Your Circle

Some people change their entire friend group as soon as they become successful — they cut off old friends and distance themselves from people who helped them in the past.

They think those people are "no longer good enough" for their current self.

But these are often the people who fall the hardest. Because they have thrown away the people who truly cared about them, and are left with only those who come for personal gain.

There are plenty of people who will add to your success, but only a handful who will help you in your hour of need. Don't lose those few.

3. Pass Gratitude On

Since you have been helped by others, go help others too.

Since you have received kindness, go give kindness. This way, goodwill flows; the people you help will go on to help others in the future.

Goodwill only grows the more it is passed on.

6. Final Thoughts

What the Six in the Fourth Place of the Sheng hexagram speaks of is gratitude.

"The king offers sacrifice on Mount Qi; good fortune, no blame." When you have achieved fame and success, do not forget to offer homage, do not forget to give thanks.

When you have accomplished something, don't forget to thank those who deserve your thanks.

This is not empty politeness — it is your duty, and even more so, it is wisdom.

Grateful people walk an ever-widening path; ungrateful people will sooner or later be left with no one to turn to.

When you stand at the top, look back at those who lifted you up, and say thank you to them.

That thank you is not just for them — it is also for yourself, to remind you who you are, where you come from, and where you are going.

Only those who know how to be grateful can go the distance.