The I Ching, Legge tr.

The I Ching, Legge tr.: Text Section II: XLVI. The Sh...

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This is an excerpt from James Legge's 19th-century English translation and commentary on Hexagram 46 (Shăng/升) of the *I Ching* (Book of Changes), the ancient Chinese divination classic. The hexagram concerns upward advancement — specifically the steady, virtuous rise of a capable official through the ranks to the highest distinction. Each of the six line readings traces a stage of this ascent, from humble beginnings welcomed by superiors, through bold middle advancement, to a peak of ceremonious success, and finally a warning against blind, overreaching ambition after the goal has been achieved. The commentary draws on traditional Chinese interpretive sources (Kû Hsî, the Khang-hsî editors, and the Jesuit P. Regis) to link symbolic elements — trigram positions, strong and weak lines, directional symbolism — to specific moral and political lessons. A notably concrete claim appears in the commentary on Line 4, where Legge suggests the historical reference to Mount Khî lifts the text from pure symbolism into actual history, identifying "the king" as the last Shang-dynasty sovereign and the feudal prince as the legendary King Wăn. The overarching moral argument is that advancement succeeds through modesty, sincerity, and knowing when to stop — the final line stands as a caution that even legitimate success becomes dangerous when pursued without restraint.

The I Ching, Legge tr.: Text Section II: XLVI. The Sh...

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