I Ching Reading

Hexagram 26: Great Taming

大畜 · Dà Chù · Mountain over Heaven

accumulationrestraintpotentialstudy

Great Taming (大畜, Dà Chù) is hexagram 26 of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, in the traditional King Wen order. It is made of Mountain (☶) above Heaven (☰).

Meaning of hexagram 26

Great strength is being held in reserve and built up. Learning, discipline and patience prepare a bigger undertaking.

Advice

Keep building your knowledge and resources, and hold back until the time is right.

The two trigrams

Great Taming places ☶ Mountain (Gèn), still, steady and restrained, above ☰ Heaven (Qián), strong, creative and persistent. The lower trigram is the inner side of the situation and the upper one its outer side.

Hexagram
26. Great Taming
Chinese name
大畜 Dà Chù
Upper trigram
☶ Mountain (Gèn)
Lower trigram
☰ Heaven (Qián)
Lines
4 yang (solid) and 2 yin (broken)
Place in the sequence
26 of 64 (King Wen order)

The six lines of Great Taming

A hexagram is read from the bottom line up. In a reading, a changing line (a 6 or a 9 in the three-coin method) draws attention to its position.

  1. First line (yang, solid): the beginning. The root of the matter: early stirrings, foundations, and what has not yet shown itself.
  2. Second line (yang, solid): the inner circle. Your immediate surroundings and steady supports: how things work at close range.
  3. Third line (yang, solid): the threshold. A point of tension between inner and outer, often a test or a restless push forward.
  4. Fourth line (yin, broken): the approach. Stepping into wider circles or nearer to authority; caution and good relationships matter here.
  5. Fifth line (yin, broken): the center of power. The place of influence and clear leadership: where the situation is most fully expressed.
  6. Sixth line (yang, solid): the culmination. The far edge of the situation: completion, overreach, or letting go.

Related hexagrams