Hexagram 35 as yes or no
Hexagram 35 Advancing as a yes-or-no answer
Jin answers 'should I go forward' with a yes: progress is the hexagram's name and its image, the sun climbing over the land, and the Judgment is one of the most welcoming in the book. The condition it attaches is about manner, not direction. Advance in the open, on your own merits, without forcing and without counting what you stand to gain — the fifth line's 'do not worry about loss or gain' is the attitude that makes the yes safe.
The changing line qualifies the timing and the risk. In the lower trigram the answer is 'yes, steadily': line one says you will be rebuffed at first and should be patient rather than insistent, line two says go on alone and trust that recognition follows, line three says go with the group's consent. In the upper trigram the answer narrows: line four is a no — you would be advancing out of greed or fear into a position that is not yours; five is the fullest yes; six says the only advance left is inward, on your own affairs, and pressing further brings regret.
The hexagram in brief
The sun rising over the earth: progress. The capable prince is rewarded with horses and received three times in a day — advancement in the light.
Advance openly and brighten your own virtue; progress is steady when it is visible and deserved.
The judgment
晉：康侯用錫馬蕃庶，晝日三接。In Žin we see a prince who secures the tranquillity (of the people) presented on that account with numerous horses (by the king), and three times in a day received at interviews.
Which line changed?
A changing line sharpens the answer. Each line of 晉 Advancing has its own page:
- 初六Six at the beginningpressed back · not yet trusted · generosity
- 六二Six in the second placeadvancing in sorrow · the grandmother's blessing · central and correct
- 六三Six in the third placetrusted by all · moving upward together · regret vanishes
- 九四Nine in the fourth placethe marmot · greedy advance · out of place
- 六五Six in the fifth placegain and loss aside · the bright ruler · going forward
- 上九Nine at the topadvancing with horns · one's own city · not yet glorious
The same hexagram for
Questions
- Does hexagram 35, Advancing, mean yes or no?
- Jin answers 'should I go forward' with a yes: progress is the hexagram's name and its image, the sun climbing over the land, and the Judgment is one of the most welcoming in the book. The condition it attaches is about manner, not direction. Advance in the open, on your own merits, without forcing and without counting what you stand to gain — the fifth line's 'do not worry about loss or gain' is the attitude that makes the yes safe.
- What does Hexagram 35, 晉 Advancing, mean?
- The sun rising over the earth: progress. The capable prince is rewarded with horses and received three times in a day — advancement in the light.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).