Full Guide to Increase Hexagram: The Best Investment in Life Is Investing in Yourself

1. What is the Increase Hexagram?

The Increase Hexagram is the 42nd hexagram in the *I Ching (Book of Changes)*, with Xun / The Gentle above and Zhen / The Arousing below — wind on top, thunder below. Wind and thunder stir each other with unstoppable force, letting all things grow and flourish.

The Increase Hexagram and the Decrease Hexagram form a pair of Inverted Hexagrams: flip the Decrease Hexagram upside down and you get the Increase Hexagram, and vice versa. The meaning is clear: loss and gain are two sides of the same coin — where there is reduction, there is addition; where there is loss, there is gain.

The Decrease Hexagram is about "what to cut back on", while the Increase Hexagram is about "what to add to".

But the "increase" of this hexagram does not come out of nowhere. Pies don’t fall from the sky, and gold doesn’t grow from the ground. All gain comes with prerequisites, costs, and a process.

If you want to make money, you first have to invest time and energy; if you want to grow, you first have to endure hardship; if you want to become strong, you first have to admit that you are not strong enough yet.

The Increase Hexagram is not about "what you will get", but "how you can get it".

2. The Core Wisdom of the Increase Hexagram

The Hexagram Judgment of the Increase Hexagram says: *"It furthers one to have somewhere to go. It furthers one to cross the great water."*

This line is short, but it carries great weight. It tells us: gain is not something you wait around for like a farmer waiting for a rabbit to dash into a tree stump — it is earned by moving forward and taking risks.

*"It furthers one to have somewhere to go"* — moving forward is favorable. Don’t stay put, don’t cling to what little you have. Step out, take action, and only then is gain possible.

*"It furthers one to cross the great water"* — crossing a great river is also favorable. High-risk, high-difficulty endeavors that others dare not take on are precisely where the greatest gains lie.

But there is a major premise behind these two lines: you must have the ability to move forward, and the skill to cross the river. Not everyone who charges ahead will succeed, and not every great river can be crossed casually.

So the core wisdom of the Increase Hexagram actually boils down to two points:

First, gain is earned by yourself, not waited for.

Second, your worth depends on how capable you are.

Many people dream of getting rich, of turning their lives around, of skyrocketing to success overnight, but they never think about improving themselves. It’s like a tree that tries to bloom and bear fruit before its roots are firmly planted — it will topple over as soon as the wind blows.

The Increase Hexagram tells you: build your skills first, then talk about rewards. Make yourself valuable first, then think about making money.

3. The Way of Increase: What Counts as True Gain

The six lines of the Increase Hexagram describe the way of increase at different stages and positions. The core is one sentence: add gain to the roots, not to the leaves.

What does "adding to the roots" mean? It means building skills, broadening your horizons, increasing wisdom, and strengthening your body. These things are yours — no one can take them away, you can’t lose them, and they come in handy at any time.

What does "adding to the leaves" mean? It means chasing trends, making quick money, currying connections, and looking for shortcuts. These things come fast and go fast — once the trend fades or the connections break, nothing is left.

Nine at the Beginning: At the Start of Increase, Act Boldly

The Nine at the Beginning of the Increase Hexagram says: *"It furthers one to undertake great works. Supreme good fortune. No blame."* — When increase is just beginning, it is suitable to take on big projects; it is supremely auspicious and free of fault.

Why? Because at the very start, you have the most drive, the most ideas, and the least fear of losing. If you don’t go all in now, when will you?

But "great works" here does not mean reckless tinkering — it means going all in after you’ve identified the right direction. With the right direction, it’s easiest to see results at the start, because you’re going from 0 to 1, with the biggest room for growth.

Young people shouldn’t be afraid of trying new things or taking risks. Your cost of trial and error is lowest right now — if you fail, you can always start over. Once you have a family to support, with elders above and children below, it will be much harder to take those risks.

Six in the Second Place: The Substance of Increase — Hold On to It

The Six in the Second Place says: *"Someone adds to it a turtle worth ten sets of cowries. It cannot be opposed. Eternal perseverance brings good fortune."* — Someone gives you a great turtle worth ten sets of cowries, and you can’t turn it down; staying upright and steadfast forever brings good fortune.

This line is about what to do when a windfall comes your way.

Sometimes in life, unexpected money, unexpected joys, or unexpected opportunities come knocking. Don’t get too excited too soon. The Increase Hexagram tells you: only what you can hold on to is truly yours; if you can’t hold it, it will leave as quickly as it came.

There are plenty of people who win the lottery but end up poorer than before a few years later. There are plenty of people who suddenly become famous but quickly fade into obscurity. If you don’t deserve what you’ve gained unexpectedly, you will lose it sooner or later.

That’s why *"eternal perseverance brings good fortune"* — always staying on the right path, sticking to your own duties, and keeping to your own pace is true good fortune.

Six in the Third Place: The Work of Increase — Do Useful Things

The Six in the Third Place says: *"Increase is used for dangerous affairs. No blame."* — Using increase for dangerous matters is free of fault.

This sounds a bit strange at first. Shouldn’t increase be used for good things? Why use it for dangerous matters?

In fact, "dangerous affairs" here does not mean doing bad things — it means dealing with crises and solving difficult problems.

Increase is not for enjoyment — it’s for shouldering responsibilities. The skills you’ve learned, the resources you’ve saved, the connections you’ve built — they’re not for showing off. They’re for stepping up and solving problems when it matters most.

If you’ve trained hard all along but never get to use your skills when trouble comes, all that training was for nothing. If you’ve made tons of friends but can’t count on any of them when you’re in difficulty, all those friendships were for nothing.

True increase is what you can actually use when you need it.

Six in the Fourth Place: Passing On Increase — Show Others the Right Path

The Six in the Fourth Place says: *"Walking the middle path, one announces to the prince and is followed. It furthers one to rely on this in moving the capital."* — Walking the path of centrality and correctness, you tell the lord what to do, and everyone follows; this is favorable for great undertakings like moving the capital.

This line means: when you have grown and become stronger yourself, don’t forget to help others grow too.

One person can walk fast, but a group can walk far. When you have skills, resources, and experience, sharing them and passing them on will bring you even greater gain.

This is called "helping others to achieve, and achieving yourself in turn". When you help others grow, they will support you in return, and everyone rises together.

Nine in the Fifth Place: The Blessing of Increase — With Sincerity and Heart

The Nine in the Fifth Place says: *"With sincerity and a kind heart, do not ask — it is supremely auspicious. Others will repay my virtue with sincerity."* — If you bestow kindness on others with a sincere heart, you don’t even need to ask — it will surely be supremely auspicious. Others will repay your virtue wholeheartedly.