Sheng · Pushing Upward

Judgment

元亨，用见大人。

Sublime success. Seek an audience with the great person.

The Chinese above is the received classical text. The English below it is a plain-language rendering written for this site — not a scholarly translation. The classical wording is terse and genuinely open to more than one reading, so where interpretations diverge we follow the mainstream one.

The Image (Da Xiang)

地中生木，升，君子以顺德，积小以高大。

地中生长出树木，逐渐向上，这是升卦，顺势上升的卦象，君子应当以柔顺之德，积累微小以成就高大。

The Six Lines

• First line允升，大吉。初六 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Second line孚乃利用禴，无咎。九二 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Third line升虚邑。九三 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fourth line王用亨于岐山，吉，无咎。六四 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Fifth line贞吉，升阶。六五 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.
• Top line冥升，利于不息之贞。上六 — classical Chinese line text. Translations vary substantially between traditions; consult a scholarly edition for depth.

Modern Interpretive Reference

Quality: Auspicious

Tendency: Pushing upward; steady ascent through accumulated effort.

Guidance: Small consistent steps compound. Do not attempt to skip stages.

This section is editorial reflection written for this site, not classical commentary. Hexagram qualities are not fixed outcomes — context and response matter more than the label. For cultural reflection only; not a basis for any decision.