繁中
Hexagram 26
䷙
Great Taming · 大畜
☶艮 above / ☰乾 below
Ancient Core
【Judgment】
Dà Chù: It is favorable to hold steady. Not eating at home brings good fortune. It is favorable to cross the great river.
【Image】Heaven within the mountain: the image of Da Chu. The noble person, following it, learns widely from the words and deeds of the past to build up their virtue.
Overview
【Brief Meaning】

The Great Accumulation. Storing strength and wisdom. Deepening your foundation to carry out grand visions when the timing is ripe.

Deep reservesPacing energyLearningAspiration
Modern Analogy
【Modern Insight】
Like a student who spent four years in the library: it didn't show at the time, but after graduation what they read keeps proving useful.
Practical Application
【Practical Case】
Now is the best time to 'sharpen your blade.' Pursue profound knowledge and associate with influential mentors. Do not rush for small gains; aim high. This is a period suited for overseas expansion, major mergers and acquisitions, or scientific breakthroughs. Go out; do not stay confined at home. Your resources are sufficient to cross vast waters.
✍ Author's Commentary
Below is my personal interpretation and observation of this hexagram.
Da Xu speaks of cultivation — cultivating talent, virtue, and energy. For a mountain to contain the sky within it takes immense capacity! This hexagram encourages us to learn broadly, drawing wisdom from history. When your energy is properly contained and managed, its release when the moment comes will be unstoppable.
【Mirror of History】Library of Alexandria · Case Study & Reflection

Historical Tale

The ancient Library of Alexandria gathered scroll collections from across the known world, creating a supreme treasury of human wisdom in philosophy, mathematics, and astronomy.

Philosophical Reflection

Invest in learning and inner character. Broad knowledge provides quiet power when major challenges arise.

【Changing Lines】Line Texts & Philosophical Interpretation
Nine at the Beginning
There is danger: it is favorable to stop.
[Stop Early in Danger] With danger ahead, it is wise to pause. Stopping before you have accumulated enough strength is wisdom, not cowardice; waiting for the right moment allows for a true breakthrough.
There is danger; stopping is advantageous. The first line of Da Xu speaks of the wisdom of stopping early: when danger first appears, the best choice is to pause rather than rush forward. Is there something you should have stopped early on, but kept pushing through instead?
Nine in the Second
The axle straps come off the carriage.
[Voluntary Loosening] Removing the axle straps halts progress temporarily. This is the time to actively shed burdens and reorganize internally, completing a full system upgrade through this deconstruction.
The wagon axles have been detached. This line speaks of a forced stop—not by your own choice, but because external conditions prevent you from moving. Da Xu tells you: forced pauses are also a form of accumulation. Using this pause to gather strength is the right move.
Nine in the Third
Good horses in pursuit: it is favorable to hold steady through hardship. Practice daily with chariot and guard; it is favorable to go somewhere.
[Vigorous Refinement] Swift horses galloping; perseverance through difficulty is key. Meanwhile, train defense and driving to prepare for the long road. Moving yet steady, fast yet controlled—the ideal state after accumulating energy.
Fine horses chasing each other; holding true in difficulty is advantageous. Daily practice of driving and defense makes moving forward favorable. This line describes action after accumulation: using top skills to move forward uprightly amidst difficulty, having trained your tools and methods beforehand. Preparedness prevents disaster.
Six in the Fourth
A guard board on a young bull's horns: sublime good fortune.
[Prevent Before Horns Grow] Placing a board on a calf's head before its horns form brings supreme good fortune. Managing potential crises early controls problems at the root with minimum effort and maximum impact.
Placing a board on a calf's horns brings great good fortune. This speaks of the smartest way to accumulate: controlling things while they are still small takes far less effort than waiting until they grow big. Preventing trouble in its infancy is Da Xu's deepest wisdom.
Six in the Fifth
The tusks of a gelded boar: good fortune.
[Gentle Taming] Gelding the boar removes the aggression of its tusks—good fortune. Use soft methods rather than brute force to neutralize aggression; this is the smartest management art.
Castrating a boar neutralizes its dangerous tusks—auspicious. This line is about removing danger intelligently: not by destroying power, but by making it manageable and safe. Sometimes the strongest accumulation isn't adding force, but rendering existing force harmless.
Nine at the Top
Reaching the highway of heaven: success.
[Heaven's Way Opens] Accumulation reaches its peak, opening up like a broad celestial highway—everything prospers. Long-accumulated energy is fully released into the most free and expansive life state.
Reaching the open skyway brings total success. The end of Da Xu offers the widest outlet: having accumulated to the extreme, you can now ride freely across the celestial road, everything flowing. All accumulation was for this moment of freedom. What kind of freedom is your current accumulation pointing toward?

In-Depth Guidance for Hexagram 26 – Great Taming

◈ The following interpretations draw on I Ching cultural wisdom and classical philosophy — for cultural study and personal reflection only, not medical, legal, or financial advice ◈
💑 Love & Relationships
Da Chu is heaven held within a mountain, and in love it is a time when each person is building up their own depth and both become steadier. Making yourself a better person is the most fundamental way to attract and sustain deep love. Don't spend all your energy pursuing someone; invest in your own growth.

In existing relationships, mutual growth and shared experience form the bedrock of longevity. Deep love exists between two growing individuals; if only one grows, distance will inevitably create difficulty.

💼 Career & Leadership
Da Chu is about great accumulation, and at work it marks a time to build core capabilities and a bench of talent ahead of a breakthrough. Don't rush to show off results right now; focus on deepening your foundation.

Keep learning, expanding your network, and building systems. True strength doesn't mean always being in the spotlight, but accumulating quietly so that when opportunity knocks, your energy is ready to trigger.

This deep foundation is your lasting advantage.

💰 Money & Risk
Da Chu is about storing up a great deal, and also about knowing when to stop. The first line says there is danger, so it is favorable to stop; the third says that even good horses must hold steady through hardship.

With money, this hexagram encourages long-term accumulation while reminding you to be ready to press pause at any point along the way. The judgment says not eating at home brings good fortune: once resources have built up enough, put them to meaningful use rather than simply hoarding them.

🏠 Family & Home Life
Da Chu, great accumulation, finds a household building up strength and resources, whether in its finances or in its bonds. Focus family resources on what matters most—education and long-term financial plans.

Consistently invest in shared memories, communication, and understanding. Family strength isn't built on occasional big events, but on small daily investments that quietly compound over time.

🌿 Rhythm & Rest

Da Chu is about storing and nourishing. Physical and mental strength also take time to build, and the methods are plain: regular hours, steady exercise, enough sleep. This is a good time to set up long-term habits rather than chase short-term results.

✨ The Overall Situation
Da Xu's overall picture symbolizes a period of deep internal growth; you are growing in ways you might not fully realize yet. Don't get anxious because you don't see immediate results.

Before accumulation leads to a breakthrough, it always looks like 'no progress.' Keep doing the right things and saving strength—when the tipping point comes, the explosive breakthrough will make all the waiting worthwhile.

Related hexagrams

This is hexagram 26 of 64, number 26 of the 30 hexagrams in the Upper Canon. See The Upper and Lower Canon for why the sequence is split this way.

Keep reading
Overall Life Guidance

Learn broadly and commit deeply; build great reserves, then act decisively. Stay calm within your vast accumulation. Use your wisdom and resources to achieve something that changes the world.