Great Taming
大畜Da Xu
No. 26 · Mountain over Heaven
Da Xu (Great Taming)
Storing up on a large scale: holding strong energy in check and building it up, gathering enough learning and character before going out to do something big.
Cast your own hexagramDa Xu (Great Taming) is about storing: holding your strength in check and building it up, then heading out once you have enough. "Not eating at home brings good fortune" and "it pays to cross the great river" mean that once you are ready, it is time to go out and do something big, not stay shut in.
Favorable
- Train and build your skills
- Save enough before you commit
- Go out and grow elsewhere
- Learn from those before you
Avoid
- Setting out underprepared
- Staying holed up at home
- Rushing straight to the end
- Charging when you should stop
Work and money
- Job search
- Get ready, then go: earn the certification, fill out the portfolio, then aim for a bigger company or another city, since not eating at home brings good fortune. Early resistance is the first line's "danger, it pays to stop", not a step back.
- Business
- Good for building capital, growing a team and taking on big projects that need depth; it pays to cross the great river. Get the people and cash in place first. If they aren't there, take the wheel off and park like the second line rather than forcing the road.
- Money
- Favorable for saving and building over the long term. Make larger commitments only once the funds are there. Building up your capital and your knowledge matters more than chasing short-term moves.
Love and people
- Single
- Da Xu (Great Taming) is heaven's energy stored inside a mountain. Spend this stretch building yourself up, with your interests, finances and daily life on steady footing. The right person tends to show up then, with no need to book a date every week.
- In a relationship
- This relationship grows by saving up together: shared savings, shared plans. When you both have strong opinions, borrow the mountain's way of stopping heaven. If a discussion jams, pause, think it through separately, then talk again.
- Getting back together
- Reaching out now is premature. First fix what caused the trouble and get steadier yourself. Once you have built that up, contact has a better chance than an impulsive message.
- People and partnerships
- Look for capable people to work with. The Tuan says the firm rises and the worthy are honored: let the able lead, and be willing to listen. Settle the terms of any partnership before setting out together.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- Very good for study and certifications. The Image says to learn many words and deeds of those before you: read widely and study cases to build yourself up. A long prep period is fine; the more you store, the steadier you are on test day.
- Moving and travel
- Good for long trips and for going elsewhere to study or work; no need to stay home. Check the car, documents and budget before you leave. The third line's daily practice in driving and defense keeps the road smooth.
- Body and mind
- Your energy holds well, which suits building health: regular meals and sleep, strength built slowly. Don't keep your feelings bottled up, though. If a physical issue keeps coming back, get it seen by a doctor instead of pushing through.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- It comes only once things have filled up; it can't be rushed. Right now the mountain is holding heaven and the strength is being stored. When conditions are ready, the top line's highway of heaven opens all at once.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- You have leverage, but build it up fully before moving, with evidence and terms ready. Take a cue from the fifth line's gelded boar: deal with the other side's real leverage, and the tusks can stay without doing harm.
- Lost things and people
- Likely to be found, though it takes some digging. It is probably put away somewhere. Check cupboards, stone or wall corners and near doors (Gen), or high places and round metal containers (Qian).
Making a decision
Ask yourself first: have I done the homework? If yes, act, and don't keep waiting. If not, keep building for a while longer.
If you are…
Da Xu (Great Taming) is store first, then go. You have saved for three years, so it is time to plan the move seriously. Before you leave, work out the language, the budget and the path after you finish, so what you stored up goes where it counts.
Your child's drive is like Qian (Heaven). Da Xu (Great Taming) is about holding strength in check: the mountain contains it without crushing it. Set the rules early and gently, and give that energy somewhere to go, like a sport or a club.
This is the reading when no line is changing. With changing lines, Zhu Xi’s method says which line to read, and the result page after a casting tells you directly.
利貞，不家食吉，利涉大川。
Steadfastness pays. Not eating at home (going out to serve and be provided for) brings good fortune. It pays to cross the great river.
Mountain over Heaven: Gen (Mountain) above, Qian (Heaven) below. Heaven is held inside the mountain, which blocks its strong energy and keeps it stored. So much is held in that it is called Da Xu (Great Taming), great storing and restraint.
Nine at the beginning
有厲利已。
There is danger. It pays to stop.
You want to charge ahead, but someone above is in the way and the conditions aren't there yet. Forcing it now is how things go wrong. Stop and save your strength.
Small Image: 有厲利已，不犯災也。
Nine in the second place
輿說輹。
The axle block comes off the cart, and the cart cannot move.
You are blocked, and you know this isn't the moment to push, so you pull over yourself. Park it and set out again once conditions are ready. Nobody will fault you for that.
Small Image: 輿說輹，中无尤也。
Nine in the third place
良馬逐，利艱貞。曰閑輿衛，利有攸往。
Fine horses race side by side. It pays to be steadfast in hardship. Practice driving and defense every day; it pays to go somewhere.
The resistance has cleared, you can start running, and others are heading the same way. Smooth running calls for more care, not less: keep up the fundamentals and risk controls daily as you push forward.
Small Image: 利有攸往，上合志也。
Six in the fourth place
童牛之牿，元吉。
A crossboard on the horns of a young bull. Great good fortune.
Deal with the problem while it is small: set the rules when a new hire starts, or fix a bad habit the moment it appears. It takes the least effort and works the best.
Small Image: 六四元吉，有喜也。
Six in the fifth place
豶豕之牙，吉。
The tusks of a gelded boar. Good fortune.
With a difficult person or situation, don't go head to head with the tusks. Work on the root and remove the reason they charge. Once the root is handled, the surface threat shrinks on its own.
Small Image: 六五之吉，有慶也。
Nine at the top
何天之衢，亨。
How open the highway of heaven. Success.
The storing has peaked and the blocked places have opened up. The skills and connections you built can be used all at once. Go ahead and commit.
Small Image: 何天之衢，道大行也。
大畜，剛健篤實輝光，日新其德，剛上而尚賢。能止健，大正也。不家食吉，養賢也。利涉大川，應乎天也。
Da Xu (Great Taming): strong and firm below, solid and true above, shining with light, renewing its virtue day by day. The firm line rises to the top, and the worthy are honored. Being able to hold strength in check is great correctness. "Not eating at home brings good fortune": the state nourishes the worthy. "It pays to cross the great river": this is in accord with heaven.
The Image天在山中，大畜；君子以多識前言往行，以畜其德。
Heaven within the mountain: this is Da Xu (Great Taming). The noble person, seeing this, learns many words and deeds of those who came before, and so builds up their own virtue.
The Sequence: why it comes here有无妄然後可畜，故受之以大畜。
Wu Wang (Innocence) comes first. Only once there is no falseness, only what is real, is there anything to store up, so Wu Wang is followed by Da Xu (Great Taming).
Miscellaneous Notes大畜時也，无妄災也。
Da Xu (Great Taming) is about timing; Wu Wang (Innocence) is about trouble. Great Taming reads the moment and holds strong energy in store, so what it stores is great. Its pair, Innocence, is a time when you must not act rashly, and a rash move brings trouble.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Da Xu mean for love?
Da Xu (Great Taming) is heaven's energy stored inside a mountain. Spend this stretch building yourself up, with your interests, finances and daily life on steady footing. The right person tends to show up then, with no need to book a date every week. This relationship grows by saving up together: shared savings, shared plans. When you both have strong opinions, borrow the mountain's way of stopping heaven. If a discussion jams, pause, think it through separately, then talk again.
What does Da Xu mean for work?
Get ready, then go: earn the certification, fill out the portfolio, then aim for a bigger company or another city, since not eating at home brings good fortune. Early resistance is the first line's "danger, it pays to stop", not a step back. A good time for training, deepening your expertise, building a portfolio, or taking on a big project that needs real skill. If someone offers to bring you up, take the role elsewhere rather than guarding a small corner.
With Da Xu, will what I am waiting for come?
It comes only once things have filled up; it can't be rushed. Right now the mountain is holding heaven and the strength is being stored. When conditions are ready, the top line's highway of heaven opens all at once.
With Da Xu, will I find what I lost?
Likely to be found, though it takes some digging. It is probably put away somewhere. Check cupboards, stone or wall corners and near doors (Gen), or high places and round metal containers (Qian).
A hexagram answers one question; your chart shows the whole of you and your year.
The classical text follows the standard edition of the Zhouyi. The plain readings are Xingge’s own, offered as a reference, not as the final word.