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Villagers begin building a sturdy bridge together across a broad stream, laying a great beam for a shared public route.
Wind and Thunder · Grow what servesScene imagery · YiPhase original learning visual
Hexagram 42 · 風雷益
益YÌ

Increase

巽 · Wind · 震 · Thunder

益卦接在损卦之后:上能自减而使下得益,才是广泛的增益。卦辞说可以前往、可以涉大川,指有益于众的行动可以面对艰难;但《彖传》仍强调“与时偕行”,增加不能脱离需要与时机。六爻从大事开工、接受外援、灾时援助、协商迁国、真心惠人,走到索取无度反遭对抗。

Increase follows Decrease by asking who actually receives the benefit. Wind and thunder carry movement outward; good growth helps people below rather than merely enlarging the top. The lines move from a common project to received support, disaster relief, consent for relocation, sincere generosity, and the danger of demanding more without end.

Original Chinese, independent English explanations and modern examples. Check the sources.保留经典原文,英文独立释读,生活例子单独说明。查看依据。

LESSON 42 · EVERYDAY I CHING

Make increase reach the people who need it

第 42 课 · 生活里的卦意

A short bilingual narration with moving views of all six line images.

跟着双语讲解与逐爻画面,理解这一卦的生活处境。

▶ Play Lessons▶ 播放课程
YiPhase · Today

In everyday life这一卦在生活中

A modern scene to help you recognize the situation. This is YiPhase's own example, separate from the classical text below.

用当代处境帮助理解卦意。以下为 YiPhase 独立编写的例子,与后面的经典原文分开。

A situation you may recognize一个可能熟悉的处境

After a storm and a season of cutting back, a neighborhood decides to rebuild its damaged workshop as a shared tool library and repair space. Some want a grand start; others worry the same few people will carry every load. Neighbors, outside volunteers, city officials, and families must decide what real increase looks like: who receives help, when to accept it, when to relocate, and when giving turns into endless taking.

暴风雨和一段缩减开支之后,一个街区决定把损坏的工坊重建为共享工具图书馆和维修空间。有人想大干一场,也有人担心重担总落在少数人身上。邻居、外来志愿者、市政人员和家庭都要判断:真正的增益是什么?帮助该给谁,何时接受外援,何时迁址,以及慷慨何时变成无度索取。

ASK YOURSELF想一想

Who should actually receive the benefit of this increase, and how will you keep it in step with real needs?

这份增益究竟该由谁受益?你怎样让它与真实需要同步?

The Judgment

The Judgment卦辞

The original Chinese remains visible as the cultural source. The English translation and reading explain it without replacing it.

先保留经典中文,再提供英文直译与现代中文解释。英文用于理解,不替代原文。

《周易》经文 · Original Chinese
益:利有攸往。利涉大川。

Increase: it is beneficial to have somewhere to go; beneficial to cross a great river.

Beginner’s reading

The river is a serious undertaking, not a promise that every risk will pay. Growth directed toward real needs gives a reason to move and a basis for crossing difficult ground.

现代中文解说

“有攸往”和“涉大川”不是保证任何冒险都成功,而是说当增益真正向下惠人、准备得当时,可以推进困难的公共事务。

Classical Commentary

Tuan Commentary & The Image彖传与大象

These classical commentaries are shown separately from the Zhouyi core text, so their textual role stays clear.

以下属于解释《周易》的经典传文,页面与卦辞分层展示,方便初学者看清文本来源。

彖曰 · Tuan Commentary
彖曰:益,損上益下,民說无疆,自上下下,其道大光。利有攸往,中正有慶。利涉大川,木道乃行。益動而巽,日進无疆。天施地生,其益无方。凡益之道,與時偕行。

“损上益下”说明资源从有权有余者转向需要者,民心因此悦服。震动而巽顺,行动要能听见回应;木可涉川,是渡难的取象。末句把扩张拉回时机与分寸:不能向已经盈满处无休止加码。

The Tuan describes benefit moving from above to below. Thunder acts while wind responds; wood makes a river crossing possible. The last phrase limits all increase by timing: adding more where there is already enough can become harm.

象曰 · The Image
象曰:風雷,益;君子以見善則遷,有過則改。

Wind and thunder: Increase. A cultivated person moves toward the good when seeing it, and corrects a fault on recognizing it.

最直接的“益”,是见到好的做法便学习,看到自己的过错便修改。它让成长成为可实行的行动,而不是单纯的数量增加。

Growth can begin in conduct: adopt a good practice when you see it, and change a mistake when you recognize one. Increase is more than accumulation.

Six Changing Stages

Six Lines: Position and Change六爻:位置与变化

Begin work that truly serves others. Receive help without losing your principles. Put resources to work in a crisis. Seek consent for a consequential move. Let trustworthy care circulate. The final line warns how endless demands undo support.

初爻兴作有益的大事;二爻外援自至而须永守正;三爻把增益用于凶险急难;四爻以中道获公赞同,依人迁国;五爻以诚惠心,彼此回报信任;上爻贪求不恒,别人不再相助且可能反对。

初九
A young organizer and villagers lay heavy beams to begin a bridge that will serve the whole community.
初九 · Line 1 · 為大作

利用為大作,元吉,无咎。

It is beneficial to undertake a great work; great good fortune, no blame.

初九在下而得动势,可以开始大事,但《小象》说“下不厚事”,不宜把沉重责任只压在下位者身上。图用众人共建桥梁,把“大作”落实为公共利益与共同承担。

A large project needs a worthy purpose and shared effort. The new bridge benefits many, while the first line's lower position cautions against loading all the burden onto those with the least authority.

Build for many
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

At the first meeting, a young organizer and longtime residents lift heavy beams to frame the workshop. They agree the project serves the whole neighborhood, not just the loudest voices. The lower-position warning shows: do not pile every burden on those with the least say.

第一次议事时,年轻组织者与老居民一起抬梁搭起工坊框架。大家说好工程服务整个街区,不只照顾声音最大的人。初九在下位的提醒是:别把重担全压给最没有发言权的人。

Ask yourself: Who is carrying weight they did not choose?

想一想:谁在承担并非自己选择的重量?

六二
An adviser from outside brings a large tortoise shell to a humble recipient while a king makes a sincere outdoor offering nearby.
六二 · Line 2 · 永貞吉

或益之,十朋之龜弗克違,永貞吉。王用享于帝,吉。

Someone increases it; even a tortoise worth ten pairs cannot oppose it. Lasting steadfastness is auspicious. The king offers to the Supreme Deity: auspicious.

这句与损卦六五呼应,但六二还多了“永贞”:外来之助要以长久守正承接。龟是古代卜筮物象,祭享则强调敬慎;都不是现代保证结果的神奇手段。

Help arrives from outside, as the visible shell makes concrete. Unlike the paired line in Decrease, this one adds the need for enduring integrity. The king's rite is an image of sincere responsibility, not a mechanism for guaranteed outcomes.

Receive help; keep faith
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

A retired carpenter arrives with a crate of precision tools, the modern counterpart to the old line's tortoise shell. The gift is welcome, but the group agrees to keep records, train safely, and not let one expert become indispensable. Enduring integrity matters more than quick gratitude.

邻镇退休木匠带来一箱精密工具,可看作古爻中龟壳在现代工作里的对应物。大家欢迎外援,但约定记录、安全培训,不让一位专家成为不可替代。长久的守正比一时感激更重要。

Ask yourself: What would help you receive help without losing your own footing?

想一想:怎样接受帮助,又不失去自己的立足点?

六三
After a flood, a local official helps displaced families and holds a jade tablet while reporting to a duke at a pavilion.
六三 · Line 3 · 用凶事

益之用凶事,无咎。有孚中行,告公用圭。

Apply increase to a dire event: no blame. With sincerity, walk the middle way; report to the duke using a jade tablet.

“凶事”是急难之事,不是让人从灾祸中获利。六三应把可用资源投向救难,以诚信和中道执圭告公、争取正当支持。图让赈济与通报同时可见。

The gain belongs in the response to calamity, not in profiting from it. Relief supplies reach families while an official reports through a proper channel, jade tablet in hand. Sincerity and proportion make urgent action accountable.

Use gain to meet need
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

A nearby flood displaces families. The workshop pauses its rebuild and sends pumps, blankets, and dry storage. A city liaison logs every delivery on an official form, like an envoy presenting a jade tablet. Sincere, proportionate aid keeps urgent action accountable.

附近洪水让一些家庭流离失所。工坊暂停重建,送去水泵、毛毯和干燥储物。市政联络员用正式表格登记每批物资,像使者执圭通报。诚信而有分寸的援助,让紧急行动也经得起追问。

Ask yourself: How do you help in a crisis without turning it into your own advantage?

想一想:危机中怎样帮忙,而不把它变成自己的好处?

六四
An envoy shows a relocation map to a duke who assents, while families with belongings and carts prepare to move together.
六四 · Line 4 · 告公從

中行,告公從,利用為依遷國。

Walk the middle way; tell the duke and he follows. It is beneficial to rely on support when moving a state.

迁国是涉及许多家庭的重大决定,不可凭个人一时冲动。中道陈说并获公赞同,另有可依之人和安置路线,才可启程。图示意商议、同意与有序迁移。

Moving a community affects many households. The envoy's plan, the duke's consent and families preparing together make support visible. The line favors a balanced proposal and dependable allies before a consequential move.

Win consent for change
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

The city proposes moving the workshop to higher ground. An envoy presents a relocation map to the council and wins consent; families pack carts and choose the new site together. The move is consequential, so it needs balanced reasons, dependable allies, and shared agreement before anyone departs.

市里提议把工坊迁到高处。使者向议会呈交迁址图,获得同意;各家一起收拾推车、共同选择新址。迁移影响重大,所以要先有中道理由、可靠同伴和共同同意,再动身。

Ask yourself: What must be agreed before a big move can be fair?

想一想:重大迁移前,必须先商量好什么才算公平?

九五
A community leader shares grain directly with families, who answer his sincere care with visible trust and help.
九五 · Line 5 · 有孚惠心

有孚惠心,勿問元吉。有孚惠我德。

With sincerity and a caring heart, do not ask: great good fortune. With sincerity, kindness returns to my virtue.

九五居中正,真正的惠不是做给人看,而是顺着人的实际所需去帮助;由此信任可以往返。“勿问”并非不用核实事实,而是说诚惠之心本身不必再求占问。

The leader's care answers a real need, and trust comes back through people's response. The line praises a sincere heart; it does not excuse careless decisions or replace attention to what recipients actually need.

Let care be sincere
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

The coordinator quietly shares heaters, coats, and workshop space with families who ask for nothing. No one is made to perform gratitude. In time, neighbors volunteer skills and materials in return. Trust travels back because the help met real needs, not because it was advertised.

协调人悄悄把取暖器、外套和工坊空间分给没有开口的家庭,不要求谁表演感激。后来邻居自愿回馈技能与材料。信任能往返,是因为帮助对准了真实需要,而不是因为被宣传。

Ask yourself: What does sincere giving look like when no one is watching?

想一想:无人观看时,真诚的给予是什么样子?

上九
An isolated man clutches a mounting pile of grain while neighbors decline to add more and confront his endless demands.
上九 · Line 6 · 莫益之

莫益之,或擊之,立心勿恆,凶。

No one adds to him; someone may strike him. A heart without constancy brings misfortune.

益到了极处若只求更多、心无定守,就会失去回应,甚至招来抵触。画中堆粮者与众人对峙,是贪求失度的警示;不能拿此爻去责怪现实中的暴力受害者。

The figure keeps demanding grain while support dries up and opposition rises. The warning concerns insatiable, inconsistent conduct; it is not a license to blame people harmed by real violence.

Know when enough is enough
Picture this in daily life生活中的这一爻

One resident stacks donated generators in a locked room and keeps demanding more. Neighbors stop adding to the pile and openly question him. The line warns that insatiable, inconsistent grasping brings confrontation. This is not a reason to blame people who are actually harmed by violence or disaster.

一位居民把捐来的发电机堆在锁住的房间里,还不断索要更多。邻居们不再往堆上添东西,并当面质问。上九警告:贪求无度、心无定守会招来对抗。但这不能拿来责怪真正遭受暴力或灾害的人。

Ask yourself: Where does asking for more stop being fair?

想一想:索取到哪一步就不再公平?

Cultural Phrases

Classic Chinese Phrases可延展的中文经典短句

Chinese carries the cultural identity; English makes the meaning accessible. These phrases can later inform cards, objects, and décor.

中文保留文化识别,英文负责解释。这些短句可作为未来卡牌、装饰与文创的文字基础,具体载体仍需单独设计。

見善則遷

见好就学,增长自己。

Move toward the good you see.

有孚惠心

以诚意关照真实需要。

Let care meet a real need.

Questions about this hexagram这一卦的常见问题

What does Hexagram 42, Increase, describe?第42卦描述什么处境?

Increase follows Decrease by asking who actually receives the benefit. Wind and thunder carry movement outward; good growth helps people below rather than merely enlarging the top. The lines move from a common project to received support, disaster relief, consent for relocation, sincere generosity, and the danger of demanding more without end.

益卦接在损卦之后:上能自减而使下得益,才是广泛的增益。卦辞说可以前往、可以涉大川,指有益于众的行动可以面对艰难;但《彖传》仍强调“与时偕行”,增加不能脱离需要与时机。六爻从大事开工、接受外援、灾时援助、协商迁国、真心惠人,走到索取无度反遭对抗。

How should I read its six lines?应该怎样阅读这六爻?

Read from the bottom line upward. Each position describes a different stage or condition. The highlighted line-position diagrams on this study page locate the line being explained; they are not a personal cast or a prediction.

从下往上读,结合不同位置与处境理解。这里的高亮卦画只说明正在讲哪一爻,不是个人起卦或预测结果。