The name 名
Jìn 晉 simply means “to advance.” Both the Sequence and the Judgment commentary gloss it as 進, the motion of the sun lifting off the horizon. This is not a charge forward but light rising of itself until all can see it.
The image 象
Above is Lí 離, fire and sun; below is Kūn 坤, earth and yielding. The sun has risen clear of the earth: full daylight. In human terms, an enlightened leader above and a willing people below. Turn the figure over and you get Míngyí 明夷, the sun sunk into the ground.
Layers of images 層
A gua can be read on several levels at once: the trigrams as members of a family (father, mother, eldest to youngest sons and daughters), the six lines as ranks in an organisation (from newcomer to ruler), and as forces of nature and animals. Each extra level adds meaning to the line texts.
Read as a family
Below is Kūn, the mother; above is Lí, the middle daughter. The sun rises out of the earth, like a daughter stepping out of her mother’s embrace and giving off her own light. Line 5 is a yin line on the throne, and Line 2 calls it “the royal mother,” that is, the grandmother: the blessing of advancement comes down through the senior women of the family, generation by generation. Progress in Jìn is not won by contest but by being raised up and welcomed.
Line 1, “advancing, then pushed back; steadiness is auspicious; not yet trusted; be easy and there is no fault”: it corresponds with Line 4 and is eager to rise, but Line 4 sits in the nuclear Gèn of lines 2–4, stopping, so the way above is jammed and every push is turned back. A beginner who is not yet trusted does well simply to stay relaxed and wait.
Line 2, “advancing, but anxious; steadiness is auspicious; it receives great blessing from its royal mother”: looking up it sees the nuclear Kǎn of lines 3–5, the trigram of added worry, so progress comes with anxiety. But it is central and upright, and its blessing comes from the “royal mother,” the yin line in the place of honour: like being looked after by a grandmother’s generation, its advance is secure.
Line 4, “advancing like a squirrel-rat; steady, but in danger”: the Shuo Gua makes Gèn the rat, and Line 4 sits inside the nuclear Gèn and the nuclear Kǎn (danger, hiding). The fourth place is the high seat next to the ruler, yet the one sitting there is like a greedy rodent with no real skill, while the three yin lines below push upward together. Its position is precarious.
Line 5, “regret vanishes; do not worry over loss or gain”: Jìn comes from Guān, with its Line 4 and Line 5 trading places. Before, the yin line sat in the upper Xùn, the trigram of market profit; after the swap Xùn is gone and the profit with it, but the seat of honour is gained. First a loss, then a gain, so neither is worth worrying about. A ruler who counts every gain and loss loses the larger picture.
Turned over, Jìn becomes Míng Yí, Darkening of the Light; the two also simply swap their trigrams: the sun rising over the earth and the sun sinking into it. In Jìn a bright ruler presides and the able advance together; in Míng Yí a dark ruler presides and the bright are wounded. Remember Míng Yí while rising and you won’t assume the day never ends; remember Jìn in a low time and you know the sun will come up again.
Lines 2–4 make Gèn and lines 3–5 make Kǎn, forming Jiǎn, Obstruction. Hidden inside advance is difficulty: Line 1 pushed back, Line 2 anxious, Line 4 like a rat all come from this inner layer of stopping and danger. A promotion that looks all sunshine has obstacles at every step inside it, and calls for patience.
In sequence 序
物不可以終壯，故受之以晉；晉者進也。
The Sequence says: “Things cannot remain in vigour forever; hence Advancing follows. Jìn means to progress.” After Great Strength the force is there; one cannot simply stay poised in it, nor retreat. The next step is to move forward.
The judgment 辭
晉：康侯用錫馬蕃庶，晝日三接。
A lord who has brought peace to his land is granted horses in abundance and received by the king three times in a single day. “Lord Kang” may refer to Kangshu, King Wu’s younger brother, but is better read as any lord who governs well. A visiting lord could be received, feasted and given gifts; all three in one day signals the highest favour. It is a time of promotion, and the favour is earned.
Commentary on the judgment 彖
彖曰：晉，進也。明出地上，順而麗乎大明，柔進而上行。是以康侯用錫馬蕃庶，晝日三接也。
The Judgment commentary reads the figure as light emerging above the earth, the yielding clinging to the great brightness. “The soft advances and moves upward” points to the fifth line: a yin line that has risen from the fourth place of Guān 觀 to the throne, which is why the image is one of favour bestowed.
The great image 象
象曰：明出地上，晉；君子以自昭明德。
“Light emerges above the earth: Advancing. The noble person makes his bright virtue shine of himself.” The key word is “himself”: no one else can light it for you. The Great Learning speaks of “making bright virtue bright”; if it were already complete, why brighten it? Virtue is a capacity that must be enacted, not a possession.
The six lines 爻
Ruling line The fifth line rules. “The soft advances and moves upward” refers to it: the yin of Guān’s fourth place rises to the throne, and from that bright, yielding ruler the whole hexagram’s light proceeds.
The path of the six lines, bottom to top
Line 1 is pushed back the moment it moves forward; not yet trusted, it can only relax and wait. Line 2 advances while anxious, but keeping to the centre it finally receives great blessing from its “royal mother.” Line 3, at the top of the lower trigram, wins everyone’s trust, and its earlier regret vanishes. Line 4 enters the upper trigram and sits high, but like a greedy, incapable rat it is in real danger. Line 5 is the bright ruler who does not count gains and losses, and every step is auspicious; the top line advances its horns, to the very tip, with nowhere further to go, fit only for setting its own town in order, and too much hardness brings regret.
初六晉如，摧如，貞吉。罔孚，裕无咎。
In plain words
Eager to advance, yet jostled and held back; steadfastness brings good fortune. Not yet trusted, but if one stays unhurried there is no blame.
Close reading
A yin line in a yang place, not correctly placed and weak. It answers the fourth line, but the fourth sits in the inner trigram Gèn 艮 (lines 2–4), “stopping,” which blocks the way, hence the jostling. The Small Image says it “has not yet received a mandate”: the post is too low for trust. Yet it “walks alone on the right path”; the direction is sound, only the pace must wait.
One level deeper
Line 1, “advancing, then pushed back; steadiness is auspicious; not yet trusted; be easy and there is no fault”: it corresponds with Line 4 and is eager to rise, but Line 4 sits in the nuclear Gèn of lines 2–4, stopping, so the way above is jammed and every push is turned back. A beginner who is not yet trusted does well simply to stay relaxed and wait.
If you drew this line
The moment has not come and others do not yet know you. Keep your direction, loosen your grip, and don’t push through the crowd.
六二晉如，愁如，貞吉。受茲介福，于其王母。
In plain words
Advancing, yet full of care; steadfastness brings good fortune. One receives this great blessing from the royal mother.
Close reading
Yin in a yin place, central and correct: an innately good post. Still, it sits inside the blocking Gèn, and ahead lies the inner Kǎn 坎 (lines 3–5), trigram of added worry, hence the anxiety. 介 here means “great.” The “royal mother” is the yin fifth line on the throne; though the two do not correspond, she favours this upright official. The Small Image credits it to being “central and correct.”
One level deeper
Line 2, “advancing, but anxious; steadiness is auspicious; it receives great blessing from its royal mother”: looking up it sees the nuclear Kǎn of lines 3–5, the trigram of added worry, so progress comes with anxiety. But it is central and upright, and its blessing comes from the “royal mother,” the yin line in the place of honour: like being looked after by a grandmother’s generation, its advance is secure.
If you drew this line
Worry along the way is normal; don’t let it turn you back. Hold to your proper place and conduct, and those above will notice.
六三眾允，悔亡。
In plain words
The many trust and agree to follow; regret vanishes.
Close reading
Yin in a yang place and entering the inner Kǎn, it has grounds for regret. But it stands atop Kūn, the multitude, with the two yin lines below behind it and a partner in the top line above. Advantages outweigh drawbacks, so regret vanishes. “The will of the many is to move upward”: shared purpose suits a time of advance.
If you drew this line
Your strength is the trust of others. Move together with them and work in good faith; earlier doubts will dissolve.
九四晉如鼫鼠，貞厲。
In plain words
Advancing like a “five-skill rat”; persisting is dangerous.
Close reading
Yang in a yin place, not correctly placed. It sits in both the inner Gèn (stopping) and the inner Kǎn (danger): told to halt on every side, hazards all around, while the three yin lines below press up against it. The 鼫鼠 is the proverbial rat of five skills, master of none. The Small Image names the root: “the position is not right.”
One level deeper
Line 4, “advancing like a squirrel-rat; steady, but in danger”: the Shuo Gua makes Gèn the rat, and Line 4 sits inside the nuclear Gèn and the nuclear Kǎn (danger, hiding). The fourth place is the high seat next to the ruler, yet the one sitting there is like a greedy rodent with no real skill, while the three yin lines below push upward together. Its position is precarious.
If you drew this line
Don’t grasp at everything or rely on cleverness now. Lie low, and make one thing truly excellent before advancing.
Five Skills, None Enough
The Shuowen describes a “five-skill rat”: it can fly but not over a roof, climb but not to the treetop, swim but not across a gorge, dig but not deep enough to hide, run but not faster than a man. Xunzi’s “Exhortation to Learning” puts it as a contrast: the legless dragon-snake flies, while the rat with five skills is still stuck. With one skill pursued wholeheartedly, the snake rises; with five half-skills, the rat is helpless. Xunzi’s moral is that learning demands single-mindedness, and that is the plight of this line.
六五悔亡，失得勿恤，往吉无不利。
Variant Shown as 「失得」; some editions read 「矢」.
In plain words
Regret vanishes. Do not fret over loss and gain; going forward brings good fortune, and nothing is unfavourable.
Close reading
Yin in a yang place gives slight regret, but central and enthroned as ruler of the figure, the regret vanishes. The line text writes 矢得, the Small Image 失得; the tradition mostly reads “loss and gain.” By hexagram change, this line was Guān’s fourth, inside Xùn 巽, the trigram of “threefold market profit”; rising to the fifth, it loses that profit but gains the throne. Hence: don’t fret over loss and gain. Under the bright Lí it can reward and correct fairly: “going brings blessing.”
One level deeper
Line 5, “regret vanishes; do not worry over loss or gain”: Jìn comes from Guān, with its Line 4 and Line 5 trading places. Before, the yin line sat in the upper Xùn, the trigram of market profit; after the swap Xùn is gone and the profit with it, but the seat of honour is gained. First a loss, then a gain, so neither is worth worrying about. A ruler who counts every gain and loss loses the larger picture.
If you drew this line
There may be a trade-off ahead. Don’t weigh each gain and loss; value the responsibility the position brings, and go forward with an open mind.
上九晉其角，維用伐邑，厲吉无咎，貞吝。
In plain words
Advancing to the horns: use this only to discipline one’s own towns. Danger, yet good fortune and no blame; but rigid persistence brings regret.
Close reading
At the very top: if the fifth line is the head, all that remains above is the horn, with nowhere further to go. Yang in a yin place, neither central nor correct. Lí above suggests weapons, and its partner, the third line, sits in Kūn, “the town,” hence “attacking the towns”: discipline at home, not conquest. “The way is not yet bright”: having reached the peak, it has still not made its own virtue shine, so any use of force must rest on virtue.
If you drew this line
You are at the peak; don’t push outward further. Use your strength to set your own house in order, and let authority be reasoned and well timed.
Stories 典
Jung and the Rising Sun
In 1949 Carl Jung wrote the foreword to the English edition of Richard Wilhelm’s German translation. He decided to put the question to the book itself: what were its prospects in English? Casting coins, he obtained Dǐng 鼎, the Cauldron, with the second and third lines moving, changing into Jìn. The cauldron is a sacred vessel of nourishment, an image of the classic itself; Jìn is light emerging above the earth, rising into common view. Jung declined to claim any proof, yet found the answer strikingly apt. The translation went on to become the most widely read version of the Changes in the West.
Brightening Bright Virtue
The Great Learning opens: “The way of great learning lies in brightening bright virtue.” The first 明 is a verb, the second describes virtue. If bright virtue were complete at birth, why brighten it? Virtue is not a jewel already lodged in the heart but a capacity that must be lit through action. Mencius’ “human nature is good” can be read as a nature that tends toward goodness: able to do good and asking to, yet needing sincerity to set it moving. Hence Mencius: “To reflect on sincerity is the way of man,” and the Doctrine of the Mean: “To make oneself sincere is the way of man.” The Great Image’s “make one’s bright virtue shine of oneself” names that inward initiative. In a time of advance, the only reliable light is one’s own.
Insight 悟
Jìn is a season of promotion and favour; none of its lines says “misfortune,” yet every one comes with conditions: crowding, worry, losses traded for gains. Rising is not the same as security, and the higher you go, the more you must ask where your light comes from. Don’t hurry, don’t grasp at everything, don’t tally gains and losses, and at the summit turn inward. What carries a person forward is not another’s reward but virtue made to shine from within.