This is Gua 46 ䷭ in the Yi Jing, titled “Slow Growing.” It is composed of ☷ Kūn Earth above ☴ Xùn Wood.

升

shēng

To rise, ascend; to promote; a unit of dry measure.

Meaning

  • Physical Ascent: To rise or float upward (e.g., smoke, steam), or to be hoisted/lifted mechanically.
  • Organic Growth: Gradual upward growth; ascent via accumulation and steady, incremental pressure from below.
  • Hierarchical Advancement: To be promoted in rank or status within a social or political structure.

Grammar and usage

  • Verb: Functions as an intransitive verb (to rise) or a transitive verb (to hoist/promote).
  • Noun: Refers to the act of promotion, the state of ascending, or a unit of dry measure.

Distinctions

  • 升 vs. 上 (shàng): 升 emphasizes the action and process of moving upward; 上 frequently denotes location (above) or general direction.
  • 升 vs. 高 (gāo): 升 describes the movement toward a higher state; 高 describes the state of being high.

Translator notes

  • Gradualism: In contexts suggesting organic or systemic rise, the term often carries a nuance of inevitable but slow, cumulative progress.
  • Category Shift: Distinguish between the verb of movement and the noun denoting a unit of dry measure (sheng). If the passage concerns grain, liquids, or taxation, it likely refers to volume.

Decontextualized translator aid. This page describes plausible lexical range; it does not choose what the term means in a particular passage.