Hexagram 42, line 5
九五Line 5 of Augmenting
Nine in the fifth place · 益 yì
爻辭 The line text
有孚惠心，勿問元吉。有孚惠我德。The fifth line, undivided, shows its subject with sincere heart seeking to benefit (all below). There need be no question about it; the result will be great good fortune. (All below) will with sincere heart acknowledge his goodness.
有孚惠心，勿問之矣。惠我德，大得志也。'(The ruler) with sincere heart seeks to benefit (all below):'—there need be no question (about the result). '(All below) with sincere heart acknowledge (his goodness):'—he gets what he desires on a great scale.
In plain words
The ruler of Yi: 'sincere, with a kind heart — no need to ask, supremely fortunate; sincerely they acknowledge my goodness' (有孚惠心，勿問元吉，有孚惠我德). Yang in the central, correct place of Xun, corresponding to the receptive second line, this is the one who gives from above and whose giving is answered. The small Image is unusually emphatic: 'no need to ask' (勿問之矣) — when the heart that gives is sincere, the outcome does not need an oracle. The second half describes the return: people below answer kindness with the same sincerity, and so the ruler 'greatly obtains its aim' (大得志也).
If this line is changing
If your intention to benefit others is sincere, stop asking whether it will be appreciated and act; the acknowledgement will come without being sought.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
- It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
- It belongs to the upper trigram 巽 Xun (the Gentle) (wind).
- It corresponds (應) with line 2: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
益 Augmenting becomes ䷚ 27 頤 Jaws / Nourishment
Thunder at the foot of the mountain, in the shape of open jaws: nourishment. Correct nourishing brings good fortune — watch what you feed yourself and others, and what comes out of your mouth.
What it becomes27 · 頤 Jaws / NourishmentyíThe six lines of 益 Augmenting
- 初九Nine at the beginninggreat undertaking · a low position · only great success clears it
- 六二Six in the second placegifts from outside · lasting steadiness · offering to heaven
- 六三Six in the third placeincrease through hardship · sincere middle course · report with the jade
- 六四Six in the fourth placethe middle course · advice followed · moving the capital
- 九五Nine in the fifth placesincere kindness · no need to ask · goodness acknowledged
- 上九Nine at the topno one adds · someone strikes · an unsteady heart
Read 益 Augmenting for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine in the fifth place of hexagram 42, Augmenting, mean?
- The ruler of Yi: 'sincere, with a kind heart — no need to ask, supremely fortunate; sincerely they acknowledge my goodness' (有孚惠心，勿問元吉，有孚惠我德). Yang in the central, correct place of Xun, corresponding to the receptive second line, this is the one who gives from above and whose giving is answered. The small Image is unusually emphatic: 'no need to ask' (勿問之矣) — when the heart that gives is sincere, the outcome does not need an oracle. The second half describes the return: people below answer kindness with the same sincerity, and so the ruler 'greatly obtains its aim' (大得志也).
- What does hexagram 42 become when line 5 changes?
- Augmenting becomes hexagram 27, 頤 Jaws / Nourishment: Thunder at the foot of the mountain, in the shape of open jaws: nourishment. Correct nourishing brings good fortune — watch what you feed yourself and others, and what comes out of your mouth.
- Is line 5 of Augmenting in its correct place?
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands. It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).