Hexagram 46, line 2
九二Line 2 of Ascending
Nine in the second place · 升 shēng
爻辭 The line text
孚乃利用禴，无咎。The second line, undivided, shows its subject with that sincerity which will make even the (small) offerings of the vernal sacrifice acceptable. There will be no error.
九二之孚，有喜也。'The sincerity of the subject of the second line, undivided,' affords occasion for joy.
In plain words
Line two 'is sincere, and so even the small summer offering is fitting — no blame' (孚乃利用禴，無咎). The same phrase appears at the second line of Cui, and the setting is similar: a strong line in the central place of the lower trigram, corresponding to a yielding ruler at five. Here the strong one is below, offering upward, and the text says sincerity makes a plain offering enough. Yang in a yin place, it is not formally correct, hence only 'no blame'; but the small Image goes further — the sincerity of line two 'brings joy' (有喜也). The one who rises on honesty rather than display is the one the ruler can rely on.
If this line is changing
Do not dress up what you bring to the people above you; a modest contribution offered sincerely is what they can trust, and it is the thing that will carry you upward.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
- It is central (中): the middle line of its trigram, the position the commentaries read as balanced and most favourable.
- It belongs to the lower trigram 巽 Xun (the Gentle) (wind).
- It corresponds (應) with line 5: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
升 Ascending becomes ䷎ 15 謙 Humility
A mountain hidden within the earth: greatness that stays low. The only hexagram whose six lines all turn out well — humility succeeds, and the superior person carries things through to the end.
What it becomes15 · 謙 HumilityqiānThe six lines of 升 Ascending
- 初六Six at the beginningwelcomed ascent · trusted rise · same mind above
- 九二Nine in the second placesincerity · the small offering · joy
- 九三Nine in the third placethe empty city · unopposed · no hesitation
- 六四Six in the fourth placeoffering on Mount Qi · service that fits · the king's trust
- 六五Six in the fifth placeascending the steps · steadiness · great success
- 上六Six at the topclimbing in the dark · ceaseless steadiness · wealth that wanes
Read 升 Ascending for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine in the second place of hexagram 46, Ascending, mean?
- Line two 'is sincere, and so even the small summer offering is fitting — no blame' (孚乃利用禴，無咎). The same phrase appears at the second line of Cui, and the setting is similar: a strong line in the central place of the lower trigram, corresponding to a yielding ruler at five. Here the strong one is below, offering upward, and the text says sincerity makes a plain offering enough. Yang in a yin place, it is not formally correct, hence only 'no blame'; but the small Image goes further — the sincerity of line two 'brings joy' (有喜也). The one who rises on honesty rather than display is the one the ruler can rely on.
- What does hexagram 46 become when line 2 changes?
- Ascending becomes hexagram 15, 謙 Humility: A mountain hidden within the earth: greatness that stays low. The only hexagram whose six lines all turn out well — humility succeeds, and the superior person carries things through to the end.
- Is line 2 of Ascending in its correct place?
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning. 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).