升Sheng · Rising
In one sentence
A steady rise; go forward with confidence.
Like a tree growing up out of the ground: little by little, but always growing. Do not worry; go and see the people who can help you. Follow the natural order and build up bit by bit, the small adding up to the large.
Asking about work, love or money
- Work
- A steady rise, like a tree growing up out of the ground: little by little, but always growing. Go forward with an easy mind; there is no need to worry. Go and see the people who can help you, and take the initiative. Do not think of reaching the top in one step. Accumulate in line with the way things grow, and the small will add up to the large.
- Love
- The relationship is slowly growing upward. Nothing dramatic, but it keeps growing. Do not hurry and do not worry; follow its rhythm and build up the good day by day. If you want to take a step forward, take it; no need to be afraid. If you are single, ask someone dependable to introduce you to people, and do not be embarrassed about it.
- Money
- Money grows little by little, like a sapling growing upward; there is no such thing as plenty overnight. Save slowly, in line with the way things grow, and the small adds up to the large. If the direction is right, carry on with an easy mind and do not fret over gains and losses. When you need to, go and ask someone who knows the field.
This is the hexagram as a whole. If your cast has changing lines, the line text governs; each line's page has its own reading for work, love and money.
The judgment
In plain wordsThings go through in a big way. You should go to see a person of virtue and ability; no need to worry. Set out and advance: good fortune.
The Tuan commentary
柔以時升，巽而順，剛中而應，是以大亨。用見大人，勿恤；有慶也。南征吉，志行也。
The yielding rises with the time. Gentle and compliant; the firm holds the center and is answered. That is why there is great success. "Go and see the great person; do not worry": there is cause for celebration. "Setting forth to the south brings good fortune": the purpose is carried out.
The Tuan (“judgment”) commentary is one of the Ten Wings. It explains the hexagram name and the judgment from the two trigrams and the positions of the lines.
The image
地中生木，升。君子以順德，積小以高大。
Wood grows within the earth: Sheng (Rising). The noble one follows the way of virtue, accumulating the small to reach the high and great.
The lines
Six at the beginning
Text允升，大吉。Rising in trust. Great good fortune.In plain wordsGo along with those above you and rise together with them in all sincerity. Great good fortune. More on this line →
Nine in the second place
Text孚乃利用禴，无咎。With sincerity, even a simple offering is favorable. No blame.In plain wordsAs long as the heart is sincere, even a meager offering can be used for the sacrifice. No blame. More on this line →
Nine in the third place
Text升虛邑。Rising into an empty town.In plain wordsYou rise as if walking into an empty city, with nothing at all in the way. More on this line →
Six in the fourth place
Text王用亨于岐山，吉，无咎。The king makes an offering on Mount Qi. Good fortune, no blame.In plain wordsThe king makes offerings at Mount Qi. Serve those above with utmost sincerity and compliance: good fortune, no blame. More on this line →
Six in the fifth place
Text貞吉，升階。Staying true brings good fortune. Rising by steps.In plain wordsStay true: good fortune. Like climbing a staircase, one step at a time, you rise steadily. More on this line →
Six at the top
Text冥升，利于不息之貞。Rising in the dark. It is favorable to stay true without ceasing.In plain wordsYour head is clouded. All you know is to keep climbing, and you cannot stop. Turn that unstoppable drive toward staying true without ever ceasing; only then is it favorable. More on this line →
Lines are counted from the bottom. “Nine” is a yang (solid) line, “six” a yin (broken) line. A line applies to your reading only when it is a changing line.
Related hexagrams
Primary, resulting, nuclear, opposite and inverted hexagrams explained →
In the hexagram calendar
In the Tang monk Yixing’s Dayan calendar, Sheng belongs to the first pentad of Major Cold, “Hens begin to brood” (January 20 to January 24, 2027).