Hexagram 26 of 64
大畜 Dà Xù · Great Taming
上 艮 Mountain (Gèn) over 下 乾 Heaven (Qián)
What is kept, grows.
Judgment
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, judgment. English translation in preparation.
Image
In short: heaven within the mountain.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, Great Image. Short gloss by Koyonari; full translation in preparation.
Commentary
Dà Xù is heaven contained within the mountain, vast potency held firmly in quiet storage. Dà Xù speaks of what is preserved growing silently: current accumulation offers no immediate echo, yet deep within it deepens and thickens. You need not rush to cash it in today; while kept, it continues to expand, but once spent it stops at that size.
Koyonari commentary.
The Six Lines
“Danger is present; favorable to halt.” Dàxù carries the meanings of accumulation and restraint. Although the first yang line has the strength to advance, it is held back at this moment. Danger describes the risk, and yǐ means stopping: continuing forward is dangerous, while stopping is favorable. This line concerns recognizing resistance at the outset of action.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 1. Koyonari translation.
“There is danger; it is advantageous to cease, avoiding rushing into disaster.” Facing obstacles and danger ahead, stopping in time is advantageous; exercising self-restraint prevents blindly running into risk and bringing about disaster.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 2. Koyonari translation.
“Axle-straps detach from the carriage.” The part connecting the carriage body to its axle comes loose, preventing the carriage from moving forward (the original character written shuō is read as tuō, meaning detach). Fù names this connecting part. Through the image of a halted carriage, the second yang line shows a temporary pause under restraint, adapting to the present circumstances.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 3. Koyonari translation.
“The carriage detaches its axle-bracket; being central, there is no error.” The cart stops as its axle-bracket is detached; because Nine in the second place holds the center, there is no fault.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 4. Koyonari translation.
“Fine horses gallop in pursuit; favorable to be steadfast in hardship. Practicing carriage-driving and defense daily; favorable to have somewhere to go.” Fine horses move forward in pursuit of one another. The conditions for advancing are in place, yet it remains favorable to face difficulties cautiously and hold firmly to the right path. Only regular practice in carriage driving and defense makes going somewhere favorable (the original has yuē, interpreted here as rì, meaning daily). Xián means practice.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 5. Koyonari translation.
“Advantageous to advance, uniting in purpose with the top.” Advancing is favorable because Nine in the third place shares aspirations with Nine at the top.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 6. Koyonari translation.
“The head-board on a young bull; supreme good fortune.” A wooden crossbar is fitted to a young ox to prevent it from butting; this bar is called gù. The fourth yin line uses this image to show that restraint is more readily effective before strength develops beyond easy control. The judgment means great good fortune.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 7. Koyonari translation.
“Six in the fourth place has supreme good fortune; there is joy.” Six in the fourth place attains supreme good fortune by preventing harm beforehand, like placing a wooden bar on a young bull’s horns to stop its butting; resolving hidden troubles in the bud brings delightful results.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 8. Koyonari translation.
“The tusk of a gelded boar; good fortune.” Fén shǐ means a castrated pig. Although its tusks remain, its restless, fierce nature has been curbed. The fifth yin line uses this to show that strength can be restrained by addressing the source of its agitation, rather than dealing only with the outward tusks. Good fortune means that this form of restraint is favorable.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 9. Koyonari translation.
“The good fortune of Six in the fifth place brings celebration.” The good fortune of Six in the fifth place lies in having celebration. The line statement uses the tusks of a castrated boar as a metaphor: though sharp, their violent nature is restrained at the root, turning harsh strength docile and yielding blessings.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 10. Koyonari translation.
“How open is Heaven's highway! Success.” Hé is an emphatic particle expressing how unobstructed the way is (another reading takes it as hè, meaning to bear a burden). The highway of Heaven is a broad road through the sky, open in all directions: the way ahead is clear. The top yang line reaches the end of Dàxù. Restraint has reached its limit, and the accumulated strength can now proceed unhindered. Success means things going smoothly.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 11. Koyonari translation.
“‘How open the highway of heaven’: the Great Way prevails broadly.” “How open the highway of heaven” is an exclamation of praise, meaning that accumulation has reached its peak and heaven’s highway is wide open, showing that the Great Way prevails freely.
Zhouyi, hexagram 26, line 12. Koyonari translation.