The sun rises above the earth and its light spreads over everything. Jin is rapid, easy progress, especially through recognition by those above: talent is seen and rewarded. The image turns this inward: true progress is letting your own good nature shine more clearly. It is a time of advancement that rests on genuine merit and loyalty.
Judgment
晉：康侯用錫馬蕃庶，晝日三接。
Advance: the marquis who secures the realm is given horses in great numbers, and in the course of one day is received three times.
Image
明出地上，晉；君子以自昭明德。
Light comes up out of the earth: advance. Taking this as a model, the noble one brings their own clear virtue into the light.
- Rapid progress
- Recognition and reward
- Letting your character shine
- Loyal service
- Clarity
- progress
- recognition
- advancement
- clarity
- merit
- light
- Progress comes when merit is recognized.
- Brighten your own character; that is lasting progress.
- Serve with loyalty and the reward follows.
The six lines
Lines are numbered from the bottom. In a reading, only the lines that are changing apply to your cast.
Line 1Six at the beginning 初六
Line text
晉如摧如，貞吉。罔孚，裕无咎。
Advancing, then pushed back. Steadfastness: good fortune. Not trusted: stay easygoing, no blame.
Your first efforts are not trusted or welcomed. Don't be discouraged or defensive; keep doing what is right with a calm mind.
- Early resistance
- Calm in the face of mistrust
- Forcing recognition
- Earning trust over time
Line 2Six in the second place 六二
Line text
晉如愁如，貞吉。受茲介福，于其王母。
Advancing, then sorrowful. Steadfastness: good fortune. One receives this great blessing from one's grandmother.
Progress is slowed and you feel separated from those who could help. Stay steady; support will come from a generous, caring source.
- Sorrowful progress
- Help from a nurturing source
- Giving in to discouragement
- Unexpected support from a caring person
Line 3Six in the third place 六三
Line text
眾允，悔亡。
Everyone agrees. Regret passes.
You don't progress alone; others trust you and move with you. Shared support removes any regret about relying on them.
- Shared trust
- Collective progress
- Insisting on going it alone
- Advancing with broad support
Line 4Nine in the fourth place 九四
Line text
晉如鼫鼠，貞厲。
Advancing like a field rat. Steadfastness in danger.
Gaining position through hoarding or hidden schemes is precarious. What is gathered secretly is easily exposed.
- Hoarding and secrecy
- Precarious gains
- Advancing by dubious means
- Choosing transparent paths
Line 5Six in the fifth place 六五
Line text
悔亡，失得勿恤，往吉无不利。
Regret passes. Don't fret over losing or gaining. Going on: good fortune; nothing is unfavorable.
Let go of anxiety about outcomes and the scorecard of gains and losses. Acting from a calm and generous place, everything goes well.
- Freedom from worry about results
- Generous action
- Obsessing over gains and losses
- Success that follows freedom from worry
Line 6Nine at the top 上九
Line text
晉其角，維用伐邑，厲吉无咎，貞吝。
Advancing with the horns, used only to subdue one's own city. Danger, good fortune, no blame. Steadfastness: regret.
Aggressive progress is acceptable only when directed at correcting your own faults or your own sphere. Turned outward, it leads to regret.
- Self-correction
- Limits of aggression
- Turning force on others
- Strengthening yourself by setting your own house in order
Related hexagrams
Have a question on your mind?
Cast a readingChinese text: Zhouyi 周易 (received classical text). English rendering and notes: Site rendering. About our sources
Commentary
Fire (the sun) above earth: the sunrise, when everything becomes visible. Jin shows a capable person rising quickly because a wise superior recognizes and rewards them, receiving the prince three times in one day. The reading may suggest a period of advancement, visibility and growing influence, often through relationships with people in a position to help.
The image places the source of progress within: making your own virtue bright. External recognition follows inner clarity, not the other way round. The lines show progress meeting resistance, doubt and temptation along the way. In relation to a question, Jin may emphasize visibility, merit and staying true to your character as you rise.