Hexagram 46, line 4
六四Line 4 of Ascending
Six in the fourth place · 升 shēng
爻辭 The line text
王用亨于岐山，吉无咎。The fourth line, divided, shows its subject employed by the king to present his offerings on mount Khî. There will be good fortune; there will be no mistake.
王用亨于岐山，順事也。'The king employs him to prevent his offerings on mount Khî:'—such a service (of spiritual Beings) is according to (their mind).
In plain words
Line four: 'the king uses him to make offering on Mount Qi — good fortune, no blame' (王用亨於岐山，吉無咎). Mount Qi was the Zhou homeland before the kingship; the image is of a loyal subordinate conducting a rite on the ruler's behalf at the place of origin. Yin in a yin place, correct, directly beneath the ruler at five and the first line of Kun, this line has risen as high as a subject should. It does not reach for the throne; it serves. The small Image: this is compliant service (順事也). The Zhou under King Wen at Qi were powerful enough to rule and did not, and the received tradition reads that restraint into this line.
If this line is changing
You have risen to the point where the next step would be the top itself; take the honour of serving there instead, and let your loyalty at this height be the thing people remember.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin 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 belongs to the upper trigram 坤 Kun (the Receptive) (earth).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 1: both lines are yin, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
升 Ascending becomes ䷟ 32 恆 Constancy
Thunder and wind moving together without end: the lasting. Success and no blame for persevering in the right way; constancy is not standing still but moving reliably.
What it becomes32 · 恆 ConstancyhéngThe 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 Six in the fourth place of hexagram 46, Ascending, mean?
- Line four: 'the king uses him to make offering on Mount Qi — good fortune, no blame' (王用亨於岐山，吉無咎). Mount Qi was the Zhou homeland before the kingship; the image is of a loyal subordinate conducting a rite on the ruler's behalf at the place of origin. Yin in a yin place, correct, directly beneath the ruler at five and the first line of Kun, this line has risen as high as a subject should. It does not reach for the throne; it serves. The small Image: this is compliant service (順事也). The Zhou under King Wen at Qi were powerful enough to rule and did not, and the received tradition reads that restraint into this line.
- What does hexagram 46 become when line 4 changes?
- Ascending becomes hexagram 32, 恆 Constancy: Thunder and wind moving together without end: the lasting. Success and no blame for persevering in the right way; constancy is not standing still but moving reliably.
- Is line 4 of Ascending 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.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).