I Ching Hexagram 42 Increase: Six in Second Place Reveals Why Spending Brings More Wealth, Not Just Saving

The story behind the second line of the Increase Hexagram is quite fascinating. Many people only read the Hexagram Judgment when studying the *I Ching*, but in reality, this second line of the Increase Hexagram hits home for most people.

Have you ever met people like this around you?

Super frugal, super stingy, splitting every penny into eight parts to spend,

yet they never seem to get all that wealthy.

Then there's the opposite type of person —

they spend when they should spend, give when they should give, never haggle over every tiny detail,

and instead, their lives get smoother and smoother, with more and more money.

Weird, right?

Logically speaking, saving money should be the right approach,

money decreases the more you spend it, and grows the more you save it, right?

Why does the opposite so often happen in real life?

This question

is explained extremely clearly by the second line of the Increase Hexagram in the *I Ching*.

The Line Text says: 或益之十朋之龟，弗克违，永贞吉。王用享于帝，吉。

What does this mean?

或益之 — Someone comes to benefit you, brings you gifts;

十朋之龟 — the most valuable thing in ancient times, a sacred turtle worth ten strings of cowrie shells, meaning a top-tier, priceless gift;

弗克违 — you can't push it away, can't refuse it;

永贞吉 — if you always hold to the correct path, you will have good fortune.

王用享于帝，吉 — the king uses it to offer sacrifice to the Supreme Deity, good fortune.

Putting the whole line together:

Someone sends you a top-tier priceless gift,

you try to refuse but can't push it away,

as long as you always stay on the right path and walk the straight and narrow,

you will have everlasting good fortune.

Sounds like pie falling from the sky, doesn't it?

But why does the Six in the Second Place of the Increase Hexagram get this kind of treatment?

Why do all the good things fall on their head?

Where Does the Good Fortune of the Six in the Second Place of the Increase Hexagram Come From?

The Increase Hexagram is 风雷益 (Feng Lei Yi / Wind and Thunder Increase),

wind above thunder, wind amplifies the sound of thunder, thunder rides the momentum of the wind,

mutually benefiting each other.

The core of the Increase Hexagram is "reducing the upper to benefit the lower" —

those above take a little less, so those below gain a lot more.

The Six in the Second Place is the second line of the Increase Hexagram,

a Yin Line in a Yin position, both central and correct — an extremely favorable position.

It is in the lower part, and above it, the Nine in the Fifth Place resonates with it,

upper and lower are of one mind, so benefit and increase come naturally.

Put it simply,

the person represented by the Six in the Second Place acts with integrity, is kind and honest,

knows their place, and doesn't chase petty gains.

People like this make others want to help them, give to them, and lend them a hand.

Think about it —

the people around you that mentors and benefactors are eager to help,

aren't they all this type?

Reliable, down-to-earth, no underhanded tricks, and know how to be grateful.

On the flip side,

people who haggle over every ounce, forget honor at the sight of profit,

and throw a fit over even the smallest loss —

who would want to help them?

People would just avoid them like the plague.

So you see,

the good fortune of the Six in the Second Place of the Increase Hexagram doesn't come out of nowhere —

it's cultivated through one's own character.

Why Do People Who Are More Willing to Give End Up Wealthier?

Speaking of which,

why is it that people who are more willing to spend and more willing to give

end up wealthier instead?

There are three reasons.

First, money is fluid, not static.

If you grip your money so tight it can't move,

it stops flowing, and if it doesn't flow, it can't generate new money.

If you spend it, invest it, give it out,

it comes alive,

and only money that's alive can breed more money.

Wen Laoshi often says a phrase —

with money, the more you clutch it like a precious treasure,

the easier it slips through your fingers;

the more you use it as a tool,

the more it wants to stick around you.

Second, what you give out is money,

but what you get back is people's goodwill.

The more people you've helped,

the more people owe you a favor,

and opportunities naturally multiply.

One good opportunity is worth ten years of saving up money.

Which do you think is a better deal?

Third, people who are willing to give have a broader mindset.

People with a broad mindset can see further ahead,

and don't get trapped by the tiny bit of money right in front of them.

Only those who can see the distance can reach the distance;

if your eyes are only fixed on the few scraps of silver at your feet,

you'll stay stuck that way your whole life.

So What's the Right Way to "Give"?

That said,

this doesn't mean you should spend money recklessly or give it away blindly.

The Six in the Second Place of the Increase Hexagram talks about "永贞吉" —

only by always holding to the correct path do you get good fortune.

Giving also needs to follow proper principles.

How do you give the right way?

Three pieces of advice.

First, give to the right people.

Not everyone is worth your generosity.

People who know how to be grateful — you help them once,

and they'll remember you for a lifetime;

people who don't know gratitude — you help them ten times,

and they think it's only right and proper,

then hate you the one time you don't help them.

Give to the right people, and the more you give, the more blessings you get;

give to the wrong people, and the more you give, the more bitter you'll feel.

Second, give to the right places.

Money should be spent on things that can grow in value,

not on keeping up appearances.

Buying luxury brands, putting on a show of wealth, competing with others —

that's not investment, that's consumption,

and it's the kind of consumption that loses value the fastest.

Learning, growth, health, connections, career —

these are the areas where the more you spend, the more you gain.

Third, don't give while expecting something in return.

If you give with a bartering mindset,

that's not giving — that's doing business.

In business, there are wins and losses,

and you'll end up disappointed.

For things you give sincerely,

don't calculate the return —

the return often comes back in ways you never expected.

This is exactly what the Increase Hexagram says: 弗克违 —

good fortune you can't push away even if you try.

A Final Word

Saving money isn't wrong,

but you can't build great wealth just by saving alone.

Real wealth growth

depends on how valuable *you* are as a person.

If you're reliable, honest, have real value,

are willing to help others and give generously,

money will naturally come looking for you.

或益之十朋之龟，弗克违，永贞吉 —

it's not you chasing money,

it's money chasing you.

But the prerequisite is, you have to be the kind of person

worth sending a "sacred turtle worth ten strings of cowrie shells" to.

So stop fixating on the little bit of money in your wallet,

and think more about how to make yourself more valuable.

When *you* are valuable, money comes naturally.

The wisdom of the second line of the Increase Hexagram, put simply, is this: wealth isn't built by saving — it comes naturally when you conduct yourself with integrity. The more you give, the more you gain; the more you let go, the more you receive. That is the true path of increase.

Remember this line from the second line of the Increase Hexagram: 或益之十朋之龟，弗克违，永贞吉。When you become the kind of person worth investing in, good fortune will come so fast you can't push it away.