I Ching Reading

Hexagram 46: Pushing Upward

升 · Shēng · Earth over Wind

growthsteady ascenteffortsupport

Pushing Upward (升, Shēng) is hexagram 46 of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, in the traditional King Wen order. It is made of Earth (☷) above Wind (☴).

Meaning of hexagram 46

Steady, patient effort brings a rise, like a plant pushing through soil. Progress is gradual and supported.

Advice

Keep climbing at a steady pace, accept help and do not hurry.

The two trigrams

Pushing Upward places ☷ Earth (Kūn), yielding, receptive and nourishing, above ☴ Wind (Xùn), gentle, gradual and penetrating. The lower trigram is the inner side of the situation and the upper one its outer side.

Hexagram
46. Pushing Upward
Chinese name
升 Shēng
Upper trigram
☷ Earth (Kūn)
Lower trigram
☴ Wind (Xùn)
Lines
2 yang (solid) and 4 yin (broken)
Place in the sequence
46 of 64 (King Wen order)

The six lines of Pushing Upward

A hexagram is read from the bottom line up. In a reading, a changing line (a 6 or a 9 in the three-coin method) draws attention to its position.

  1. First line (yin, broken): the beginning. The root of the matter: early stirrings, foundations, and what has not yet shown itself.
  2. Second line (yang, solid): the inner circle. Your immediate surroundings and steady supports: how things work at close range.
  3. Third line (yang, solid): the threshold. A point of tension between inner and outer, often a test or a restless push forward.
  4. Fourth line (yin, broken): the approach. Stepping into wider circles or nearer to authority; caution and good relationships matter here.
  5. Fifth line (yin, broken): the center of power. The place of influence and clear leadership: where the situation is most fully expressed.
  6. Sixth line (yin, broken): the culmination. The far edge of the situation: completion, overreach, or letting go.

Related hexagrams