Also known as Pushing Upward, Ascending.
The character 升 means to rise or ascend, and was also an old measure of grain. Hexagram 46 is about growth that comes with effort but meets little resistance, like a young tree pushing up through soil. It is earned, gradual and steady.
The figure
Earth over Wind. Wind here also stands for wood: a tree growing up out of the earth. The weak lines above yield, so the strength below can rise. It is the reverse of hexagram 45.
The judgment
It opens from the start. Go and see someone who can help. Do not worry. Going south goes well.
The way up is open. Don't wait anxiously. Find the right people to support you, and move forward.
The image
A tree growing up out of the ground. Go with what you are, and let the small pile up into something tall.
A tree doesn't rush. It adds a little every day, bending around obstacles instead of fighting them.
The six lines
Counted from the bottom, the way the figure is built when you cast it.
- Line 1, at the bottom. You rise and are welcomed by those above. This goes very well.
- Line 2. If your heart is honest, a modest gift is enough. Not a mistake.
- Line 3. You rise into an empty city. There's no resistance at all. Go in, but don't ask why it is so easy.
- Line 4. You're honored and given a place of your own. It goes well; use it for others.
- Line 5. Keep steady and you rise by steps. It goes well.
- Line 6, at the top. You keep climbing in the dark. Only tireless steadiness helps here; know when it's time to stop pushing up.
Reading it for a question
Hexagram 46 says growth is available now, through steady effort and the right help. Take one sure step after another. Don't force it and don't stall, and remember that small daily progress is the whole method.