I Ching Hexagram 42 Increase: Don’t Rush to Thank Someone for a Free Benefit — "Or益之十朋之龟,弗克违" (Bestowed with a Ten-Peng Tortoise Shell, Cannot Be Refused)

A friend who works in design ran into something last year.

A boss reached out to him, saying he had a project on hand and wanted him to take it on. No price negotiation first—he’d hand over a 200,000 yuan deposit upfront.

My friend said that didn’t really follow the usual rules.

The boss replied, “I think highly of you. Take it first.”

He called me, and the first thing he said was, “Is this a pie falling from the sky?”

I said, “Don’t rush to take a bite just yet. There’s a line in the Hexagram of Increase that’s exactly about this.”

風雷益 (Feng Lei Yi / Increase): Giving from Above to Below

The Hexagram of Increase (Yi) has Xun (The Gentle, Wind) above and Zhen (The Arousing, Thunder) below—wind on top, thunder below.

The Xiang Commentary (Images) says: “Wind and thunder together form Increase. The Junzi (Superior Person), seeing what is good, moves toward it; having faults, corrects them.”

Wind and thunder stir each other, mutually augmenting one another.

The shape of this hexagram is “adding.”

The Hexagram of Decrease (Sun) is about subtraction; the Hexagram of Increase is about addition. Decrease means the upper gives up so the lower gains; Increase means the upper gives so the lower receives.

So the core of the Hexagram of Increase is “receiving benefit.”

But when it talks about receiving benefit, it does so very cautiously.

Because it knows one truth: things you get for free are the most expensive.

六二 (Six in the Second Place): 或益之十朋之龜，弗克違，永貞吉 (Huo yi zhi shi peng zhi gui, fu ke wei, yong zhen ji)

The Line Text (Yao Ci) for the Six in the Second Place of the Hexagram of Increase reads: “或益之十朋之龜，弗克違，永貞吉 (Someone presents a tortoise shell worth ten strings of cowries; it cannot be refused. Perseverance in correctness brings good fortune). The king uses it to offer sacrifice to the Supreme Deity—good fortune.”

“Someone” means it’s given by another person, not something you went after yourself.

A “tortoise shell worth ten strings of cowries” is an extremely valuable item. Tortoise shells were treasures in ancient times, and one worth ten strings of cowries was priceless.

“Cannot be refused” means you can’t turn it down.

“Perseverance in correctness brings good fortune” means lasting good fortune only comes if you uphold what is right over the long term.

There are three layers of meaning in this line, each worth pausing to consider.

First layer: “someone presents it.” It’s given by others, not earned by you.

Second layer: “cannot be refused.” Some benefits you can’t reject outright—pushing too hard will only offend people.

Third layer: “perseverance in correctness brings good fortune.” Whether it turns out well depends on whether you can hold to what is right for the long haul.

In wealth-related scenarios, the most striking part of the Hexagram of Increase lies in this third layer.

Giving is someone else’s business. Upholding your ground is yours.

When it comes to wealth, the Hexagram of Increase isn’t about being aloof and noble—it’s about doing the math.

Only when you can count the cost clearly is a benefit truly a benefit. If you can’t, that benefit is just an IOU.

Three Questions to Ask Before Taking a Free Benefit

First question: Why is he giving this to you?

This question sounds snobbish, but it’s the most basic form of self-protection.

I’ve sorted the reasons into four categories.

First category: He thinks highly of you. Your abilities are useful to him, so he’s investing in you early.

This is the cleanest kind of benefit. You can take it without guilt, as long as you do the job well.

Second category: He wants you to owe him a favor.

Money is the hook, and personal obligation is the line. Once you take it, you’ll have a hard time saying no to whatever he asks later.

This is the most expensive kind of benefit. Because what you pay back isn’t money—it’s your future freedom.

Third category: He’s shifting risk onto you.

He doesn’t dare take on this project himself, or can’t handle it, so he uses 200,000 yuan to transfer the risk to you.

This is the riskiest kind of benefit. You think it’s a pie falling from the sky, but it’s actually a burden.

Fourth category: He’s paving the way for later.

He has bigger things he’ll need you for down the line, so he gives a little now to make sure you remember him.

This kind of benefit isn’t bad, but you need to know exactly what kind of path you’re stepping onto.

After working through these four questions, most situations become clear.

Second question: What will I have to pay back after taking it?

Not “do I have to pay it back”—but “what do I have to pay back?”

Paying back money is easy.

Paying back a favor is hard.

Paying back by compromising your principles is the hardest of all.

I knew someone in the construction industry who took an unexplained advance payment. Later, when the boss got into trouble, he was called in for questioning seven times.

He told me, “The biggest regret of my life is that when that money hit my account, I didn’t even ask where it came from.”

Third question: Can this benefit last?

The Six in the Second Place of the Hexagram of Increase says “perseverance in correctness brings good fortune”—and “perseverance” means lasting.

A one-time gain isn’t true increase.

I tell people to do this math: how many years will this benefit last?

One year? That’s luck.

Three years? That’s business.

Ten years? That’s a career.

Don’t change your own rules for something that only benefits you for a year.

弗克違 (Fu Ke Wei / Cannot Be Refused): What to Do When You Can’t Turn It Down

Some benefits really can’t be turned down. Pushing too hard will damage the relationship and make you look overly suspicious.

At times like this, do three things.

First: Be clear about the terms out loud.

“I’m not quite sure why you’re giving this to me—could you explain?”

This line isn’t rude; it keeps things clean.

People who are willing to explain usually have nothing to hide. If someone beats around the bush, you’ll know to be on your guard.

Second: Put the boundaries in writing.

What exactly is being given—money, resources, opportunities? And after receiving it, what are you expected to do, and what are you not expected to do?

Putting it in writing isn’t about distrust—it’s about saving trouble later.

The best handling I’ve ever seen was someone who took an investment, and the first thing he did was send an email listing five things “I will not do.”

The investor replied with one word: “Good.”

They ended up working together for six years.

Third: Leave yourself an exit.

The scariest thing about taking something from someone else is not being able to give it back.

So before you take it, think it through: if this goes wrong, how do I back out?

If you can return the money, return it. If you can stop the work, stop it.

Don’t take something you can’t give back.

What to Do to Fix Things If You’ve Already Taken It

Most people who come to me with this question already have the money in their account.

At that point, don’t panic—do three things.

First: Turn verbal agreements into written ones.

No matter how close you are to the other person, send a message laying out the details of the arrangement clearly.

Write four lines: what they’re giving, what you’re expected to do, how long the project will last, and how to handle things if it’s stopped midway.

This message isn’t about guarding against the other person—it’s about making sure both of you have the same understanding.

The smartest move I’ve ever seen was someone who sent these four lines over the same day he received the money, adding at the end: “If I’ve misunderstood anything, please correct me.”

The other person replied: “No problem.”

Those two words got him through the next two years.

Second: Set a “stop-loss point” for yourself.

What’s a stop-loss point?

It’s the point at which, no matter what, you have to walk away.

For example: if the other person starts asking me to do things beyond our agreement, I’ll speak up the third time it happens.

For example: if I can’t handle the work that comes with this money, I’ll give a month’s notice.

Stop-loss points have to be set in advance. If you wait until you’re in the thick of things, you won’t be able to make the call.

Third: Keep your own records.

How the money was spent, how far along the work is, when you communicated about what.

You don’t have to show them to anyone. They’re for you.

Because if something goes wrong, the only thing that can protect you is your records.

The Most Misunderstood Line of the Hexagram of Increase in Wealth Matters

Some people say, since the Hexagram of Increase is about receiving benefit, that means you should take whatever comes your way.

That’s not right.

The Six in the Second Place puts “perseverance in correctness” at the very end as a reminder: giving is someone else’s business, but upholding your ground is yours.

When it comes to wealth, the Hexagram of Increase asks only one question from start to finish: can you hold onto this benefit for the long term?

If you can hold it, it stays in your account. If you can’t, it’s just passing through.

永貞 (Yong Zhen / Perseverance in Correctness): What Exactly Are You Upholding?

Zhen means correctness. Yong zhen means upholding what is right over the long term.

Applied to wealth matters, I understand it as three rules.

First rule: Don’t take money whose source you can’t explain.

This is the strictest rule, but it also saves you the most trouble.

Second rule: Don’t take on work beyond your abilities.

You might get the money, but if you can’t do the work, you’ll end up paying for it one way or another.

Third rule: Don’t change your own rules for a single benefit.

Your rules are something you’ve built up over many years. Change them once for 200,000 yuan, and you’ll change them a second time for 300,000.

The Hexagram of Increase talks about “increase,” but it talks even more about “decrease.”

Decrease and increase are two sides of the same coin. If you gain something here, you lose something there.

What Happened Later

My designer friend ended up taking the 200,000 yuan.

But he did one thing: he sent the boss an email laying out three points clearly—the project scope, the delivery timeline, and how the 200,000 yuan would be refunded if the project was terminated.

The boss replied, “You’re the first person who’s ever talked to me about refunding money.”

The project ran for eight months. Sure enough, the boss added three rounds of extra requirements along the way, and every time, my friend pulled out that email and the two of them went over it together.

He told me, “That email saved me.”

I said, “It wasn’t the email that saved you. It was the fact that when you took the money, you’d already thought through how to give it back.”

The Six in the Second Place of the Hexagram of Increase says: “或益之十朋之龜，弗克違，永貞吉 (Someone presents a tortoise shell worth ten strings of cowries; it cannot be refused. Perseverance in correctness brings good fortune).”

Put simply: you can take a benefit that’s given to you for free.

But the moment you take it, you have to keep “perseverance in correctness” in mind.

Otherwise, that benefit will sooner or later make you pay it back in another way.