Hexagram 34 of 64
大壯 Dà Zhuàng · Great Power
上 震 Thunder (Zhèn) over 下 乾 Heaven (Qián)
In strength, choose your ground.
Judgment
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, judgment. English translation in preparation.
Image
In short: thunder in the heavens.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, Great Image. Short gloss by Koyonari; full translation in preparation.
Commentary
Dà Zhuàng is thunder in the heavens: great momentum and no lack of power. Dà Zhuàng speaks of choosing your ground when you possess great strength—where force is applied matters far more than how much force you have. Spending a little everywhere amounts to spending nothing anywhere; pick your ground first, then direct your strength.
Koyonari commentary.
The Six Lines
“Power in the toes. Setting forth brings misfortune; this is certain.” Strong force is concentrated in the toes, eager to move forward, but setting out rashly brings “misfortune,” an unfavorable outcome. Here, “having trust” means that this dangerous outcome is indeed certain. The opening nine is at the beginning: strength is abundant, yet hasty advance is inadvisable.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 1. Koyonari translation.
“Strength in the toes: its certainty is exhausted.” The toe is the toe of the foot, signifying the beginning of action. Applying strength to the toes means wanting to advance right at the start. Fú means trust, and here certainty; the Lesser Image commentary says its certainty is exhausted, meaning that when one advances like this the misfortune is bound to come true, leaving no way forward; hence the line statement says advancing brings misfortune, with certainty.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 2. Koyonari translation.
“Perseverance brings good fortune.” Even when strength is great, the right path must be upheld. “Steadfastness” means holding to what is right; “good fortune” means a favorable outcome. The second nine, at the lower trigram’s center, emphasizes moderation amid strength: good fortune lies in upholding what is right.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 3. Koyonari translation.
“Nine in the second place, steadfastness brings good fortune: through centrality.” Nine in the second place is a yang line centered in the lower trigram. The line text says steadfastness brings good fortune; the Lesser Image commentary explains it attains the center: centered, neither biased nor overly rigid, so remaining steadfast brings good fortune.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 4. Koyonari translation.
“The inferior person uses power; the noble person uses it not. Perseverance brings danger. A ram butts against a hedge, entangling its horns.” The petty person flaunts and uses strength; the noble person treats obstacles as nothing and acts without restraint (wǎng means “nothing”; Zhū Xī takes this as the noble person’s excess of boldness). “Danger despite steadfastness” means that, in an excessively forceful position, even right action carries danger. A ram strikes a fence with its horns, only to entangle them: relying solely on force leads instead to obstruction and entrapment.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 5. Koyonari translation.
“The petty person employs strength; the noble person treats obstacles as nothing.” Nine in the third place has excessive yang strength. The Lesser Image commentary juxtaposes two phrases: the petty person uses strength, relying on brute force to display power; the noble person uses "wǎng" (nothingness), treating obstacles before them as nonexistent and charging ahead with unreserved valor. Because the line text continues with danger in steadfastness and a ram becoming entangled in a hedge, this contrasts two manners of employing strength rather than praising the noble person while disparaging the petty person.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 6. Koyonari translation.
“Perseverance brings good fortune; remorse disappears. The hedge breaks open, free of entanglement. Power in the axle of a great cart.” Holding to what is right brings “good fortune,” a favorable outcome, and regret fades. The fence has opened, freeing the ram’s horns; strength is as solid as the part on a large cart’s axle that supports its body. Fù names this supporting component. The image depicts obstacles removed and strength sufficient to bear the load.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 7. Koyonari translation.
“The hedge breaks open without entanglement: one can still go forward.” A hedge is a fence, and léi means entangled. The hedge has broken open and the horns are no longer caught, indicating that obstacles have been cleared away. The Lesser Image commentary says one may still advance, meaning one can still proceed forward at this time without obstruction.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 8. Koyonari translation.
“Losing the sheep amid ease; no remorse.” In a peaceful state, the ram-like force of resistance is lost, yet this brings “no regret.” Here, yì is understood as ease and gentleness. What is lost is the urge to keep asserting strength; this need not be regarded as a regrettable loss.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 9. Koyonari translation.
“Losing the ram at Yì: the position is improper.” The sheep refers to the vigorous ram mentioned in earlier lines. Losing the sheep at Yì—where Yì denotes an easy, level place, or alternatively ease and unawareness—signifies that forceful momentum has dissipated. The Lesser Image commentary attributes this to an improper position: this line is yielding yin occupying a yang position, unable to sustain that vigor, leading to this loss. The line statement says there is no regret, meaning that although the sheep is lost, it does not amount to regret or blame.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 10. Koyonari translation.
“A ram butts against a hedge: cannot retreat, cannot advance. Nothing is favorable. In hardship, good fortune.” A ram strikes a fence with its horns and can neither retreat nor advance; nothing in its situation is favorable. “Good fortune through difficulty” means recognizing the difficulty and acting cautiously can bring good fortune. Once insistence on strength has led to entrapment, the difficulty must be acknowledged and caution exercised.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 11. Koyonari translation.
“Unable to retreat, unable to advance: this lacks scrutiny. In hardship there is good fortune: the fault will not endure.” A ram butts into a hedge and its horns get trapped, unable either to withdraw or advance, described as "bù xiáng." Chéng Yí explains xiáng as scrutiny, meaning one did not examine the situation clearly beforehand; Kǒng Yǐngdá reads xiáng as auspicious, so that its absence means inauspicious, that is, not good. The Lesser Image commentary says that hardship brings good fortune: if one is willing to remain cautious and steadfast amid hardship, good fortune remains attainable, and halting here prevents the fault from enduring long.
Zhouyi, hexagram 34, line 12. Koyonari translation.