Hexagram 42.2 — Increase (Second Line)

Original Text & Translation

「或益之十朋之龜,弗克違,永貞吉。」 — Someone increases him with ten pairs of tortoises; they cannot be declined. Perseverance in constancy brings good fortune.

The tortoise shell was among the most precious objects in ancient China, used for divination and representing wisdom, longevity, and connection to the divine. Ten pairs — twenty tortoises — represents an extraordinary gift, one so valuable and appropriate that refusing it would be wrong. The line counsels acceptance of genuine increase when it arrives through proper channels, and maintaining the virtue that made you worthy of receiving it in the first place.

Core Meaning

Line two sits in the position of the devoted minister, the trusted partner, the centered heart. In Hexagram 42, where the upper trigram (Thunder) moves to benefit the lower (Wind), this line is perfectly positioned to receive the descending blessing. It does not reach upward greedily; it does not reject what comes modestly. It simply maintains its center and accepts what is given.

The phrase "cannot be declined" is crucial. This is not about politeness or false modesty. When genuine increase arrives — the right opportunity, the perfect mentor, the resources you truly need — refusing it would be an act of pride or fear, not humility. The wisdom here is recognizing authentic benefit and having the grace to receive it fully.

The second part of the text, "perseverance in constancy," reminds us that receiving increase creates responsibility. You must remain the person who was worthy of the gift. The blessing is not a finish line but a new beginning that requires sustained integrity.

Symbolism & Imagery

The tortoise carries multiple layers of meaning. Its shell was the primary tool for divination, making it a symbol of wisdom and access to higher knowledge. Its longevity represents enduring value. The number ten (in pairs) suggests completeness and abundance. Together, "ten pairs of tortoises" symbolizes a complete transmission of wisdom, resources, or opportunity — something that will serve you for a lifetime.

The imagery also suggests that what you receive is not merely material but spiritual or strategic. These are tools for understanding, for making better decisions, for connecting with deeper patterns. The increase is both immediate and long-lasting, practical and profound.

The second line's position — central in the lower trigram, yin in nature, responsive rather than initiating — creates the perfect vessel. Like a cup held steady, it can receive what is poured from above without spilling. This is the geometry of grace: proper alignment allows flow without force.

Action Guidance

Career & Business

• Accept the opportunity: if a significant offer, partnership, or resource comes your way through legitimate channels, do not let imposter syndrome or false modesty cause you to refuse it.
• Recognize aligned support: distinguish between distractions and genuine increase. The "ten tortoises" are unmistakable — they match your needs, values, and trajectory perfectly.
• Maintain your center: receiving increase does not mean abandoning the principles that made you worthy. Keep your standards, ethics, and work quality consistent.
• Steward what you receive: treat new resources, knowledge, or positions as sacred trusts. Use them wisely and share their benefits appropriately.
• Stay receptive to mentorship: this line often indicates learning from someone above you in skill or position. Be the good student — attentive, grateful, and diligent.
• Document and integrate: when wisdom or opportunity arrives, capture it systematically. Build it into your processes and practices.

Love & Relationships

• Receive love gracefully: if your partner offers genuine care, support, or commitment, accept it without deflecting or minimizing. Let yourself be loved.
• Recognize the gift of the relationship: some connections bring increase that goes beyond companionship — they make you wiser, stronger, more yourself. Honor that.
• Maintain your integrity: being in a supportive relationship does not mean losing your center. Stay true to your values and continue your personal growth.
• Give in return: increase flows in circuits. As you receive, find ways to offer your own gifts — not from obligation, but from abundance.
• Trust appropriate dependence: healthy relationships include mutual support. Accepting help is not weakness; it is wisdom.

Health & Inner Work

• Accept healing support: if you find the right practitioner, therapy, or practice, commit to it fully. Do not sabotage your own recovery.
• Receive insight: when understanding arrives — about a pattern, a wound, a strength — welcome it completely. Let it change you.
• Maintain practices: as you improve, do not abandon the disciplines that brought the improvement. Constancy preserves increase.
• Honor your body's wisdom: the tortoise symbolizes the body's deep intelligence. Listen to what it tells you and respond with care.
• Build sustainable rhythms: increase in health comes from consistent, centered practices, not heroic efforts. Stay balanced.

Finance & Strategy

• Accept windfalls wisely: if unexpected gain arrives through legitimate means, receive it gratefully and deploy it strategically.
• Recognize structural opportunity: sometimes the market, timing, or circumstances align to offer genuine advantage. Act on it without hesitation or guilt.
• Maintain discipline: receiving increase does not mean abandoning risk management or sound principles. Stay centered in your strategy.
• Invest in long-term value: like the tortoise, seek durability and wisdom over quick returns. Build positions that will serve you for years.
• Share the increase: as resources grow, find ways to circulate benefit. This keeps the flow active and prevents stagnation.
• Document lessons: when you gain insight or advantage, capture the pattern. Turn experience into replicable wisdom.

Timing, Signals, and Readiness

This line often appears when you are ready to receive something significant but may not fully recognize it. The signal is a sense of rightness, alignment, and timeliness. The opportunity or gift fits your current trajectory perfectly, even if it seems larger than you expected. It arrives through proper channels — not through manipulation or luck, but through the natural consequence of your previous work and integrity.

You know you are in this line's territory when: (1) something valuable is offered that you did not force or chase; (2) it aligns with your deepest needs or goals; (3) refusing it would be false modesty rather than true discernment; and (4) accepting it feels both humbling and right.

The timing is now. The increase is present. Your task is not to wait for worthiness but to recognize that your centered position has already made you worthy. Accept, integrate, and maintain your constancy.

When This Line Moves

When the second line of Hexagram 42 moves, it often signals a transition from receiving increase to actively working with what you have received. The change indicates that the gift has been accepted and now must be integrated, applied, or shared. The resulting hexagram will show the next phase of the cycle — how the increase transforms your situation and what new responsibilities or opportunities emerge.

A moving second line suggests that your receptivity has been successful and now action is required. You have been given the tools, wisdom, or resources; the next step is to use them skillfully. The movement from yin receptivity to whatever follows is a natural progression — from receiving to embodying, from being blessed to becoming a blessing.

Practical note: after receiving significant increase, there is often a period of integration and adjustment. Do not rush to prove yourself or to immediately deploy everything you have received. Let it settle, understand it deeply, and then move forward with the same centered constancy that allowed you to receive it in the first place.

Concise Summary

Hexagram 42.2 teaches the art of worthy reception. When you occupy the centered position — sincere, balanced, and aligned — increase flows to you naturally. The oracle's image of ten pairs of tortoises represents complete, valuable, and enduring gifts that cannot and should not be refused. Your task is to accept what comes with grace, maintain the integrity that made you worthy, and steward the increase with constancy. This is not passive waiting but active readiness — being the vessel that can hold and honor what heaven sends. Receive fully, remain centered, and let the blessing become the foundation for your next phase of growth.