I Ching · Hexagram 35 of 64
Hexagram 35: Jin （晋） — Progress
Jin is Fire above Earth: the sun rising out of the ground at dawn. The hexagram concerns advancing step by step, fulfilling one's vows and receiving office under heaven's mandate, until one becomes a lord who brings peace to a nation.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 35 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Jin 晋 · Progress |
| Upper trigram | Li （离）· Fire |
| Lower trigram | Kun （坤）· Earth |
| Structure | Fire over Earth |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Progress. The honored lord is rewarded with horses in abundance; in a single day he is received three times.
ExplainedThe lord of peace stands for one whose service is so great that the sovereign heaps land, people and horses upon him, blessing upon blessing within a single day. Read in the key of cultivation, this is heaven's unbroken favor. Such a height is reached only step by step through the six lines, and then one's bounty shelters not only descendants but a whole society.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
Progress means advancing. The light emerges above the earth; yielding, it attaches itself to the great brightness, and the yielding advances upward. Therefore the honored lord is rewarded with horses in abundance, and in a single day is received three times.
ExplainedThe advance is upward, like the sun climbing, not merely forward. The yielding is Earth and the light is Fire: gentleness moving toward great brightness, rising by softness rather than by force. To follow heaven's mandate one must be supple of manner, and the mandate itself lies in settling the world and benefiting its people, which requires a vow set on goodness alone.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
Light emerges above the earth: Progress. Thus the noble one makes his bright virtue shine of itself.
ExplainedTrue advancement is not more money or higher rank, but the recovery of one's own luminous nature. Set the will on benevolence, on transmitting the Way and saving others, and the light returns in a single thought; set it on name, gain or appetite, and no advancement of the real kind is possible.
The Six Lines （六爻）
The lines are read from the bottom upward. Each carries its own text, a Small Image commentary, and a plain-English reading.
Line 1 · YinLine 1
Advancing and being broken: steadfastness brings good fortune. Where there is no trust, be generous in time: no blame.
Small ImageAdvancing and being broken: walking alone in what is right. Generous and without blame: the mandate has not yet been given.
ExplainedThe first step toward becoming a noble person meets setback and testing, and the hardest test is to be unrecognized, since the world chases profit while one speaks of saving others. Stand upright alone, be patient, and do not demand acceptance too soon; the mandate has not yet been entrusted because the trials are not yet passed.
Line 2 · YinLine 2
Advancing and grieving: steadfastness brings good fortune. He receives this great blessing from the Queen Mother.
Small ImageReceiving this great blessing: because of centrality and uprightness.
ExplainedThe second trial is sorrow: anxiety over the future and hardship of means. Hold to what is right and let no poverty weaken the vow, and a great blessing is received from the Heavenly Mother. Only those central and upright can bear fortune, for a blessing that outruns character becomes a disaster.
Line 3 · YinLine 3
The multitude assents: regret vanishes.
Small ImageThe multitude assents: the will rises upward.
ExplainedHaving passed the tests without retreating, one now receives support from those around as though from heaven, and the regret of misstep disappears. When the people consent, the will is approved above and the way is well supported; and so the worthy must be raised from generation to generation, not left to end with one life.
Line 4 · YangLine 4
Advancing like a field rat: steadfastness, peril.
Small ImageThe field rat's steadfast peril: the position is not fitting.
ExplainedThe great rat climbing into a high place is the one who rises without merit or virtue, living in constant fear of falling. Uprightness is harshly tested because the earlier gates were never passed; whatever is built on no foundation is at last torn down.
Line 5 · YinLine 5
Regret vanishes. Do not fret over loss and gain; going forward brings good fortune, nothing unfavorable.
Small ImageNot fretting over loss and gain: going forward brings celebration.
ExplainedHaving won the assent of many, one moves without hesitation to save the world. Man proposes and heaven disposes: the work is ours to do faithfully and the outcome is heaven's to give. Let go of gain and loss, and every step is auspicious.
Line 6 · YangLine 6
Advancing to the horn: it serves only to correct one's own city. Peril, good fortune, no blame; yet to be steadfast in it brings regret.
Small ImageIt serves only to correct one's own city: the Way is not yet bright.
ExplainedAt the very height of brightness one may grow horn-stiff and numb, out of touch with the people's feeling. Then the work must turn inward, purging one's own house and disciplining one's own people, severe but necessary. The regret is that outward achievement has outrun inner cultivation, and the Way is not yet fully bright.
Key takeaway
Progress teaches advancement as heaven's mandate: rising step by step in service until one's bounty shelters a people.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 35 (Jin) mean in the I Ching?
Jin is Fire above Earth: the sun rising out of the ground at dawn. The hexagram concerns advancing step by step, fulfilling one's vows and receiving office under heaven's mandate, until one becomes a lord who brings peace to a nation.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 35?
Progress. The honored lord is rewarded with horses in abundance; in a single day he is received three times. The lord of peace stands for one whose service is so great that the sovereign heaps land, people and horses upon him, blessing upon blessing within a single day. Read in the key of cultivation, this is heaven's unbroken favor. Such a height is reached only step by step through the six lines, and then one's bounty…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 35 say?
Line 1: Advancing and being broken: steadfastness brings good fortune. Where there is no trust, be generous in time: no blame. Line 2: Advancing and grieving: steadfastness brings good fortune. He receives this great blessing from the Queen Mother. Line 3: The multitude assents: regret vanishes. Line 4: Advancing like a field rat: steadfastness, peril. Line 5: Regret vanishes. Do not fret over loss and gain; going forward brings good fortune, nothing unfavorable. Line 6: Advancing to the horn: it serves only to correct one's own city. Peril, good fortune, no blame; yet to be steadfast in it brings regret.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 35 (Progress)?
Progress teaches advancement as heaven's mandate: rising step by step in service until one's bounty shelters a people.
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