Hexagram 14 大有 - Dà Yǒu / Possession in Great Measure

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Trigrams

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• Above: Lí, the Clinging, Flame
• Below: Qián, the Creative, Heaven

The fire in heaven above shines far, causing all things to come into the light and manifest themselves. The weak fifth line occupies the place of honor, and all the strong lines correspond to it. He who is humble and mild in a high position wins all things.¹

The Judgment

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Possession in Great Measure: Supreme success.

The two primary trigrams indicate that strength and clarity unite. Possession in great measure is determined by destiny and accords with the time. How is it possible that the weak line has the power to hold fast and possess the strong lines? Through its selfless humility. It is a favorable time. Strength within, clarity and culture without. Power expresses itself in a refined and controlled way. This brings supreme success and wealth.²

The Image

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Fire in heaven above: the image of Possession in Great Measure. Thus the superior man curbs evil and furthers good, and thereby obeys the benevolent will of heaven.

The sun high in heaven, shining upon everything on earth, is the image of possession in great measure. But such possession must be properly managed. The sun brings both evil and good to light. Man must combat and curb evil, and further and favor good. Only in this way does one respond to the benevolent will of God, who wills only good and not evil.

The Lines

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Nine at the beginning means:

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No relationship with what is harmful; there is no blame. If one remains conscious of difficulty, one remains without blame.

Great possession that is still in its initial stage and has not yet experienced any challenge is without blame, for there is as yet no opportunity to make mistakes. But there are still many difficulties to overcome. Only by remaining conscious of these difficulties does one remain truly free inside from the possibility of pride and extravagance, and has fundamentally overcome every blame.

Nine in the second place means:

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A large wagon to load. One may undertake something. No blame.

Great possession consists not only in the quantity of goods at one’s disposal, but above all in their mobility and utility. Then one may use them for undertakings and remain free from embarrassment and mistakes. The large wagon, which can be heavily loaded and driven far, signifies capable helpers who stand at one’s side and are equal to their task. One can load great responsibility onto such people, which is necessary for important undertakings.

Nine in the third place means:

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A prince offers it to the Son of Heaven. A petty man cannot do this.

It is the way of a magnanimous, open-minded person not to view his possessions as his exclusive personal property, but to place them at the disposal of the ruler or the community. By doing so, he takes the correct attitude toward wealth, which can never endure as private property. A narrow-minded person, of course, is incapable of this. For him, great possession turns to his detriment because, instead of sacrificing, he wishes to keep it.³

Nine in the fourth place means:

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He makes a distinction between himself and his neighbor. No blame.

A position is characterized that stands between rich and powerful neighbors. This brings danger. In such a case, one must look neither to the right nor to the left, remaining free from envy and the temptation to equal others. Thus one remains free from blame.⁴

Six in the fifth place means:

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He whose sincerity is accessible and yet dignified has good fortune.

The situation is very favorable. Without external compulsion, simply as a result of uncalculated sincerity, one wins people over so that they are attached in true sincerity as well. Yet in the time of Possession in Great Measure, mildness alone is not enough. Otherwise, insolence could easily creep in. This rise of insolence must be kept in check by dignity; then good fortune is assured.

Nine at the top means:

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He is blessed from heaven. Good fortune! Nothing that is not advantageous.

In the fullness of possession and power, one remains humble and honors the wise man who stands outside the worldly bustle. Thereby one places oneself under the blissful influence from heaven, and everything goes well.

Confucius says of this line:

“To bless means to help. Heaven helps the devoted; people help the truthful. He who walks in truthfulness and is devoted in his thinking, and furthermore holds the worthy in high esteem, is blessed from heaven. He finds good fortune, and there is nothing that is not advantageous.”

Reference links

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• Hexagram look-up table
• Advanced hexagram correspondence table