Yi — Augmentation
Also known as: Increase
The Judgement
益卦：利有攸往，利涉大川。
It is favourable to have somewhere to go; it is favourable to cross the great stream.
AI commentaryYi joins Wind and Thunder, which strengthen each other, and takes from above to add to what lies below: benefit flowing to others, given from above and received below. Fierce Wind and swift Thunder amplify one another, while reduction at the top enriches the base; hence the name Augmentation. The judgement holds that a time of growth favours purposeful action, even crossing the great stream. The hexagram signals gain and advancement. Yet such gain rests on enriching others, adopting the good the moment it appears and correcting faults at once. When the top gives to the base, the people's contentment is boundless, and harmony with Heaven and people brings great gain.
AI plain readingYi pictures Wind and Thunder helping each other, and what is above giving something up so what is below can grow. Wind is fierce and Thunder swift, and together their force builds; the top reduces itself to enrich the base, hence augmentation. The judgement says that in a time of growth it is favourable to act, even to take on a serious challenge. If you draw this hexagram, it usually points to gains and progress, with support flowing from those above to those below. Its condition is generosity: help others, follow good examples, and correct mistakes quickly. When those above give to those below, people respond with boundless goodwill, and acting in step with Heaven and people brings great gain.
The Great Image
风雷，益；君子以见善则迁，有过则改。
Wind joined with Thunder, Augmentation: the noble person takes up whatever good they meet and corrects any fault they find in themselves.
The Six Lines
1st Line (nine)
初九：利用为大作，元吉，无咎。
It is favourable to undertake great works; supremely auspicious, no blame.
AI commentaryPlaced at the bottom yet receiving generous support from above, this line should use that help to accomplish a great work. Only when real good comes of it is the outcome supremely auspicious and free of blame; nothing received should be wasted.
AI plain readingYou are in a low position but receiving generous help from above, and this is the moment to use it for something substantial. The tradition reads the line as supremely auspicious and without blame, on one condition: turn the support you receive into real achievement rather than letting it go to waste.
- Timing
- Support from above reaches you while still junior; this phase is supremely auspicious for an ambitious start that uses it fully.
- Money
- Funds, credit or a generous backer may appear; the tradition reads such support, channelled into one solid venture, as supremely auspicious.
- Career
- When a senior figure invests in you, take on the major project and deliver visibly; this is a supremely auspicious opening.
- Relationships
- Your partner gives a great deal; answering that generosity with sincere effort makes this a supremely auspicious time for the bond.
- Home & Household
- Elders' help can lift the household; put it into renovation or a family business and the home's prospects are supremely auspicious.
- Health
- The tradition sees vitality on the rise, a supremely auspicious sign; use the upswing to build your constitution with steady rest.
- Marriage
- A good match brings real advantages; when both commit sincerely and build on them together, the union is supremely auspicious.
- Exams & Study
- With good teaching and resources coming your way, a major qualification is within reach, and wholehearted preparation now is supremely auspicious.
- Travel
- Set out with a clear, worthwhile purpose: the journey is supremely auspicious and can open doors to bigger things.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- Your case has real backing; pressing it with evidence toward fair settlement is supremely auspicious, with no blame.
- Finding a Person
- Useful leads and willing helpers surface; prompt follow-up on each makes the prospect of finding the person supremely auspicious.
- The Decision Point
- When you receive help from above, repay it by achieving something significant with it; using the gift well is what makes this supremely auspicious.
2nd Line (six)
六二：或益之，十朋之龟弗克违，永贞吉。王用享于帝，吉。
Someone may enrich you with a tortoise shell worth ten pairs of cowrie strings; nothing can stand against it. Lasting steadfast correctness is auspicious. The king makes offerings to the Lord on High (帝): auspicious.
AI commentaryGreat gain, as precious as a rare tortoise shell, may be bestowed here, and nothing can stand against it. Lasting correctness is auspicious, as is reverence like a king's offering to the Lord on High. Openness and integrity draw the fullest blessing.
AI plain readingA major benefit may come your way, as precious as a rare tortoise shell was in ancient times, and nothing can stand against it. Stay correct over the long run and receive it with the reverence of a king making an offering. Humble, sincere openness brings the deepest blessing.
- Timing
- Substantial, perhaps unexpected gain marks this period, and it stays auspicious as long as you remain humble and principled.
- Money
- Lasting gains are favoured here: gifts, bonuses or windfalls may come unasked, so accept them gratefully and keep your accounts honest.
- Career
- Recognition and major opportunities seek you out. If you stay modest and keep consistent standards year after year, real achievement follows.
- Relationships
- Affection is offered generously; receiving it with an open heart and steady honesty lets the feeling deepen into something lasting.
- Home & Household
- Blessings come to the household, perhaps through help from relatives. Keep family life orderly and respectful so prosperity settles in.
- Health
- The tradition reads this as a strongly favoured, auspicious time for wellbeing, sustained by humble, consistent self-care rather than quick fixes.
- Marriage
- Treat vows and family rites with genuine reverence and stay faithful over the years: the union is richly blessed.
- Exams & Study
- Strong results are within reach if you work with patient consistency and bring your questions to good teachers.
- Travel
- Journeys go smoothly and may bring valuable encounters, provided you travel with courtesy and integrity from departure to return.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- Scrupulous, sustained honesty matters most: the situation leans your way, and the reading favours your being judged in the right.
- Finding a Person
- Expect help from unexpected quarters. Searching patiently through proper channels makes it likely the person will be found.
- The Decision Point
- Receive great benefit with humility and integrity, and hold to what is right over the long term; sustained correctness turns gain into lasting fortune.
3rd Line (six)
六三：益之用凶事，无咎。有孚中行，告公用圭。
Benefit is applied to calamitous affairs: no blame. Holding to sincerity and the middle path, you present a jade tablet (圭) when reporting to the duke.
AI commentaryGain applied to relieving disaster and emergency incurs no blame. Yet the help must flow from complete sincerity and a balanced course, offered with the respect of an envoy presenting a jade tablet to a duke, to earn trust.
AI plain readingThis line describes using what you have to help in a crisis, and the tradition finds no blame in it. The condition is genuine sincerity and a balanced approach, shown with the formal respect of an envoy presenting a jade tablet. Helping others through hardship, done honestly, keeps you blameless even in difficult times.
- Timing
- A crisis-tinged period; put your effort into helping where things are going wrong, act sincerely and even-handedly, and no blame follows.
- Money
- An emergency, yours or someone else's, may call for money. Spend it openly and fairly and the risk can be defused.
- Career
- If you are asked to rescue a failing project, take it on transparently and keep superiors informed; you remain blameless.
- Relationships
- Hard times test the bond, yet standing by each other honestly keeps you blameless and draws you closer.
- Home & Household
- When a household emergency strikes, respond calmly, share the burden fairly and talk openly until the home feels safe again.
- Health
- The tradition sees a time to handle a serious concern carefully; follow sound advice steadily, and gradual improvement is favoured.
- Marriage
- Adversity is the setting. Partners who carry each other through it with honesty and fairness avoid blame and can emerge stronger.
- Exams & Study
- You face a hard subject or a setback; tackling the toughest material head-on, without shortcuts, makes progress achievable.
- Travel
- Hazards on the road, or someone needing help along the way, are possible; courteous, calm conduct favours a safe return.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- Put the facts plainly before the proper authority and act in good faith; the conflict can be defused without blame.
- Finding a Person
- The person may be in trouble. Search urgently, enlist officials or trusted contacts, and they can likely be located.
- The Decision Point
- When you help in a crisis, let your motives be wholly sincere and your conduct balanced; then even hard circumstances leave you free of blame.
4th Line (six)
六四：中行，告公从。利用为依迁国。
Keeping to the middle path, you put your case to the duke and he goes along with it. It is favourable to lean on this backing for a task as weighty as moving the capital.
AI commentaryActing by the middle path, this line advises those above and its counsel is accepted. It can lean on the support it holds to carry out a weighty task, even relocating a capital. Balance and mutual trust make large plans possible.
AI plain readingYou act with balance, and when you put your views to those in charge, they listen and agree. With that trust in place, you can lean on the support you have to carry out something major, as weighty as moving a capital city. Moderation combined with mutual trust lets big plans succeed.
- Timing
- Trust with those above is strong; a well-balanced proposal now wins approval, and even a major change of direction is feasible.
- Money
- Lenders and partners are open to a significant plan. Present a measured, credible case and a large move can pay off.
- Career
- Leadership heeds your advice, so a restructuring, relocation or major initiative you propose can succeed if it stays balanced and transparent.
- Relationships
- With mutual trust running deep, this is a good time to plan important steps together and let harmony grow.
- Home & Household
- The family is of one mind, so a house move or family business can proceed and tends to prosper.
- Health
- The tradition favours a thorough, well-planned approach, in which trust and cooperation with your practitioner support deeper change toward better health.
- Marriage
- Both families are on side, making this a good moment for big shared decisions like setting a date or relocating.
- Exams & Study
- Teachers trust your judgement and will back an ambitious step, such as switching schools or a demanding programme; success is likely.
- Travel
- Plan a long trip or relocation in measured stages; it has the backing it needs and should go smoothly.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- A reasonable, moderate stance earns a hearing from those in authority, which favours pressing your case firmly through proper channels.
- Finding a Person
- Officials and contacts are willing to cooperate. A wide search coordinated across several places is worth organising and likely to succeed.
- The Decision Point
- Keep to the middle path and earn trust above and below; on that footing, the backing you have gained can carry a major plan through.
5th Line (nine)
九五：有孚惠心，勿问元吉。有孚惠我德。
With sincerity and a kindly heart, there is no need to ask: supremely auspicious. With sincerity, others in turn are grateful for your virtue.
AI commentaryIn the place of authority, this line holds a sincere wish to benefit those below, so its good fortune needs no divination to confirm. Those below answer that sincerity with gratitude for its virtue; it is beyond doubt supremely auspicious.
AI plain readingYou hold a position of influence and genuinely want to benefit the people who depend on you. That is so clearly good that you hardly need to ask about the outcome. When you give sincerely, others respond with sincere gratitude and loyalty, and the tradition reads this as supremely auspicious.
- Timing
- This is a peak time for generosity; the goodwill that sincere giving draws back makes the phase supremely auspicious beyond question.
- Money
- Profits shared fairly with staff, partners or clients return as loyalty; the tradition reads this as supremely auspicious for substantial gains.
- Career
- Lead by sincerely looking after your team's interests; people rally behind you, a supremely auspicious sign for your standing and results.
- Relationships
- Kindness given without calculation returns in full; devotion deepens both ways, and the bond enters a supremely auspicious season of closeness.
- Home & Household
- When every family member receives generous, attentive care, gratitude flows back and the household thrives: supremely auspicious for family life.
- Health
- Caring for body and mind with patient sincerity brings inner balance; in the tradition's view, wellbeing here is supremely auspicious.
- Marriage
- Sincere generosity from each partner is answered by the other's; for the union this is supremely auspicious, pointing to lasting contentment.
- Exams & Study
- Honest, diligent effort earns results that truly reflect your ability; recognition follows naturally, and the outlook for exams is supremely auspicious.
- Travel
- Treat hosts, guides and fellow travellers kindly and they help in return; the trip is supremely auspicious and smooth throughout.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- Fairness and goodwill toward the other side win everyone's respect; the reading is supremely auspicious for your position being upheld.
- Finding a Person
- News is likely to come through people you once helped, now eager to repay you: a supremely auspicious search.
- The Decision Point
- From a position of influence, benefit others with genuine sincerity and they answer with loyalty; this is supremely auspicious, with no need to ask.
6th Line (nine)
上九：莫益之，或击之，立心勿恒，凶。
No one brings you gain; instead, someone may strike at you. Your resolve lacks constancy: inauspicious.
AI commentaryAt the peak of gain, this line still demands more and gives nothing, so no one helps and some may attack. Its flaw is a fickle, insatiable heart. Gain at its height must be shared; grasping is inauspicious, the hexagram's chief warning.
AI plain readingYou are already at the height of good fortune but keep asking for more, taking without giving back. As a result no one helps you, and some may turn against you. The root problem is restless, insatiable wanting. The tradition reads this as inauspicious; the remedy is to start giving instead.
- Timing
- Grasping at others' expense in this phase drains away all support and turns things inauspicious, so start giving back steadily.
- Money
- Deals that take without giving invite losses and enemies; such greed is inauspicious, so share profits fairly and honour commitments.
- Career
- Use colleagues as stepping stones and they will turn on you: inauspicious. Protect your position by helping others and keeping a steady purpose.
- Relationships
- Constant demands with nothing offered drive a partner away; this inauspicious pattern unravels the bond unless you give generously and consistently.
- Home & Household
- At home, self-serving behaviour breeds resentment and disorder until the family turns against you, an inauspicious course; put their needs first.
- Health
- The tradition counts running yourself into the ground as inauspicious; replace overwork with steady rest and nourishment before depletion sets in.
- Marriage
- Where one partner only takes and never gives, the marriage becomes inauspicious and heads for failure; generosity and steady loyalty keep it intact.
- Exams & Study
- Gaming the exam with shortcuts instead of effort is inauspicious: teachers lose patience and results slip; honest, steady study turns this around.
- Travel
- On the road, a demanding, exploitative attitude stirs hostility and makes the trip inauspicious and hazardous; considerate, steady conduct is the safeguard.
- Disputes & Legal Matters
- Excessive claims alienate everyone, even potential allies; for a grasping litigant the reading is inauspicious, so scale back to fair, consistent demands.
- Finding a Person
- When searching, do persistent legwork yourself; leaning on others while offering nothing back drives helpers away, and the search grows inauspicious and hard.
- The Decision Point
- At the height of gain, turn to benefiting others; taking without giving and wavering in purpose turns people against you and is inauspicious.