Great Power
大壯Da Zhuang
No. 34 · Thunder over Heaven
Da Zhuang (Great Power)
A time when your strength is at its peak. The yang force has grown to the fourth line and momentum is high. The stronger you are, the more it matters to stay upright and not use that force to ram through.
Cast your own hexagramDa Zhuang (Great Power) is a time of high momentum: you have strength and resources. The risk is that strength makes it easy to overshoot. Keep a sense of proportion and do what is right, and the power tends to stay on your side.
Favorable
- Compete openly
- Act by the rules
- Put your strength where it counts
- Keep a way back open
Avoid
- Ramming against the rules
- Overpowering people
- Charging at the first step
- Shortcuts that cross the line
Work and money
- Job search
- You have the skill and the momentum to go after a promotion or a key project. Mind the third line: a ram that butts the hedge gets its horns stuck. Overpowering people or ramming against policy tends to leave you unable to move either way.
- Business
- Drive is strong, so pitch big accounts and open new markets; clients can see what you bring. Negotiate by the book. The Image says not to set foot where propriety forbids: skip the shortcut that breaks the rules, however profitable.
- Money
- Your finances have momentum, and you may want to add to your positions. Being proactive is fine, but don't borrow to force it or put too much on one bet. Keep your discipline.
Love and people
- Single
- Da Zhuang (Great Power) gives you charm and confidence right now, and the one who makes the first move has the advantage. Chase too hard or demand an answer too soon and you may scare them off. Leave room for them to respond.
- In a relationship
- Thunder above heaven is loud, and so are your arguments: two strong people, neither giving way. Winning a fight is not the same as a good relationship. The second line finds good fortune in the middle path, so give ground where it counts.
- Getting back together
- You have the energy to reach out and say what you want, but you can't force it. If they hold firm and you keep pushing, it turns into the top line: unable to go back, unable to go through, stuck in the most painful spot.
- People and partnerships
- Joint projects have momentum and suit big pushes. The usual trouble is that everyone wants to be in charge. Settle roles and decision rights early, so four strong yang lines don't end up colliding.
Daily life
- Exams and study
- Your drive is there, so it is a good time to take on a harder exam or certification. Don't pack the schedule on day one. The first line warns against charging at the very first step; raise the intensity at a steady rate.
- Moving and travel
- Energy is high, which suits setting out or moving somewhere new. The fourth line has the hedge breaking open, so stuck paperwork may clear. Still check the car, the luggage and the route; don't get careless because things are going well.
- Body and mind
- You are full of energy and hard to stop, which can mean late nights or overtraining. Budget your strength and leave time to rest. If something hurts and you keep pushing through it, that's the signal to stop and see a doctor.
Traditional questions
- Something you are waiting for
- Four yang lines climbing upward means things move, and news tends to come fairly soon. That holds if you go about it properly. Chasing and pressuring people to speed it up is more likely to jam it.
- Disputes and lawsuits
- You hold the upper hand, with a solid case and leverage, so argue it firmly. The Judgment says only that steadfastness pays: strength has to stay upright. Don't corner the other side with no way out, and don't apply pressure by improper means.
- Lost things and people
- A good chance of finding it. Zhen (Thunder) points to places of movement and main paths, Qian (Heaven) to high places, round and metal things. Check entryways and routes you walk often, high shelves, or inside metal containers.
Making a decision
You can move forward, as long as the thing itself stands on solid ground. If you are only running on adrenaline and want to force it, stop and work out your way back first.
If you are…
You are the strongest on the team, which is exactly what Da Zhuang (Great Power) looks like. The second line holds the middle: split the work, let each person own a part, and you review it. Take everything yourself and the others tend to coast while you burn out.
Quick gains make you want to pile on weight all at once. Da Zhuang (Great Power) reminds you that the strongest moments are when injuries are most likely. Add weight on schedule, keep your form clean, and stop when something hurts instead of pushing through for pride.
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。
Steadfastness pays.
Thunder over Heaven: Zhen (Thunder) above, Qian (Heaven) below. Thunder booms across the sky with enormous force. Four yang lines grow from the bottom up, firm and vigorous, so it is called Da Zhuang (Great Power).
Nine at the beginning
壯于趾，征凶，有孚。
Strength in the toes (charging ahead at the very first step). Going forward brings misfortune; of this one can be certain.
You just arrived in a new place or role and want to prove yourself fast, push changes and show what you can do. Your footing isn't secure yet, and a fall is likely. Build the basics and the relationships first, then sprint.
Small Image: 壯于趾，其孚窮也。
Nine in the second place
貞吉。
Steadfastness brings good fortune.
You have real ability and you know how far to take it. Keep working steadily as you are. There is no need to show off your strength; things tend to go smoothly on their own.
Small Image: 九二貞吉，以中也。
Nine in the third place
小人用壯，君子用罔，貞厲。羝羊觸藩，羸其角。
The petty person relies on strength; the noble person treats danger as nothing (sees it and acts as if it were not there). Even steadfastness is dangerous. A ram butts a hedge and gets its horns caught.
You feel you are right and capable, so you want to take it head on, and you end up stuck with no way forward or back. Pull your strength in. Taking another route, or waiting, is safer than ramming.
Small Image: 小人用壯，君子罔也。
Nine in the fourth place
貞吉，悔亡。藩決不羸，壯于大輿之輹。
Steadfastness brings good fortune; regret disappears. The hedge breaks open and the horns are no longer caught. Strength lies in the axle block beneath a great cart.
The obstacle that blocked you is starting to give, and you can push forward. Put your force where it holds weight, the way a cart carries its load on the axle, and steady progress can take you far.
Small Image: 藩決不羸，尚往也。
Six in the fifth place
喪羊于易，无悔。
Losing the ram without noticing, in a moment of ease. No regret.
The urge to fight it out has faded, and you are handling things more gently now. It may look like you gave up an edge, but you avoided a lot of conflict. Nothing worth missing.
Small Image: 喪羊于易，位不當也。
Six at the top
羝羊觸藩，不能退，不能遂，无攸利，艱則吉。
A ram butts into a hedge. It cannot go back and cannot go through. Nothing is favorable. Facing the hardship brings good fortune.
You pushed too hard earlier and now you are stuck, like a negotiation at a standstill or a project half done. Admit the situation is hard and work through it patiently; the bind tends not to last long.
Small Image: 不能退，不能遂，不詳也。艱則吉，咎不長也。
大壯，大者壯也。剛以動，故壯。大壯利貞；大者正也。正大而天地之情可見矣！
Da Zhuang (Great Power): what is great grows strong. Firm and moving, therefore strong. Da Zhuang, steadfastness pays: what is great must be upright. Upright and great, and the true nature of heaven and earth can be seen.
The Image雷在天上，大壯；君子以非禮弗履。
Thunder above heaven: this is Da Zhuang (Great Power). The noble person, seeing this, does not set foot on any path that goes against propriety.
The Sequence: why it comes here物不可終遯，故受之以大壯。
Things cannot keep retreating forever. After withdrawing far enough, they grow strong again. So Dun (Retreat) is followed by Da Zhuang (Great Power).
Miscellaneous Notes大壯則止，遯則退也。
Da Zhuang (Great Power) means stopping, and Dun (Retreat) means withdrawing. One common reading: when the right way grows strong, petty people stop; when petty people gain ground, the noble person withdraws. Others read Da Zhuang as knowing when to stop.
Related hexagramsFAQ
What does Da Zhuang mean for love?
Da Zhuang (Great Power) gives you charm and confidence right now, and the one who makes the first move has the advantage. Chase too hard or demand an answer too soon and you may scare them off. Leave room for them to respond. Thunder above heaven is loud, and so are your arguments: two strong people, neither giving way. Winning a fight is not the same as a good relationship. The second line finds good fortune in the middle path, so give ground where it counts.
What does Da Zhuang mean for work?
You have the skill and the momentum to go after a promotion or a key project. Mind the third line: a ram that butts the hedge gets its horns stuck. Overpowering people or ramming against policy tends to leave you unable to move either way. You have both the opening and the ability to move up, but don't get there by overpowering people. Follow the rules, spend your energy on what actually needs doing, and avoid head-on clashes.
With Da Zhuang, will what I am waiting for come?
Four yang lines climbing upward means things move, and news tends to come fairly soon. That holds if you go about it properly. Chasing and pressuring people to speed it up is more likely to jam it.
With Da Zhuang, will I find what I lost?
A good chance of finding it. Zhen (Thunder) points to places of movement and main paths, Qian (Heaven) to high places, round and metal things. Check entryways and routes you walk often, high shelves, or inside metal containers.
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.