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Hexagram 26: Great Taming

䷙ 大畜 (Dà Chù) · Great restraint. Gather your strength and store it up.

restraint, stored strength, learning, readiness

Lower trigram: Heaven ☰ · Upper trigram: Mountain ☶

The judgment

Great energy is being held and gathered rather than wasted. Keep steady, learn from what came before, and put your strength to work beyond your own four walls. This is a good time to take on something big.

The image

Heaven held inside the mountain: a vast treasure kept in stillness. Fill yourself with what the wise said and did before you, and let it deepen your character.

The six lines

Read only the lines that changed in your casting, counting from the bottom.

• Line 1 (bottom): Danger lies ahead, and something holds you back. Stop for now; stopping is not losing.
• Line 2: The block that holds the cart to its axle has been taken out, so the cart stays where it stands. Accept the delay calmly; holding back is the wise choice.
• Line 3: The way opens and you race ahead like a good horse among others. Stay alert to danger and practice your skills every day; then it is good to have somewhere to go.
• Line 4: A board is fixed across a young bull's horns before they grow. Restraining wildness early, before it does harm, brings great good fortune.
• Line 5: A boar's tusks are dangerous, but its wildness can be tamed at the root. Address the source of a problem rather than fighting its symptoms; good fortune.
• Line 6 (top): The blockage gives way and the road to the sky opens. What has been stored up can now be used freely; success.

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