Diminish Above to Benefit Below

CORE DEFINITION

The idea comes from the Sun, or Diminishing, hexagram of the I Ching, whose text says that diminishing the upper to benefit the lower makes the way greatly bright. It holds that the upper layer usually holds redundant gains while the lower layer holds the binding constraint, so transferring from the former to the latter strengthens the foundation on which the upper layer itself rests. The core claim is that the sacrifice is only apparent, since a stronger base raises the ceiling for everything above it. The qualification is that what is given away must be surplus rather than essential, because transferring core margin makes the upper layer bleed.