| Name | 大壮 Dà Zhuàng, “Great Power” |
|---|---|
| Upper trigram | ☳ 震 Thunder: sudden movement |
| Lower trigram | ☰ 乾 Heaven: strength and initiative |
The Judgment
利贞。
Wise to stay true.
Big power, big stakes. The only way to keep it is to use it honestly. Otherwise it turns on you.
The Image
雷在天上，大壮；君子以非礼弗履。
Thunder in heaven — Great Power. The wise do not tread paths that do not accord with right.
When you have power, the temptation to cut corners is huge. Don't. Walk only the right path — even when you don't have to.
The six lines
If a line changes in your cast, read its text below. Lines are numbered from the bottom.
Line 1 · first (bottom) · Yang
壮于趾，征凶，有孚。
Power in the toes. Going on — misfortune. There is sincerity.
All forward thrust, no thought. Sincere intention, but pure forward push gets you hurt here.
Line 2 · second · Yang
贞吉。
Stay true — fortune.
Hold the line. The power is real and you're using it right. Keep going.
Line 3 · third · Yang
小人用壮，君子用罔，贞厉。羝羊触藩，羸其角。
The small-minded use power. The noble one uses what is nothing. Stay true — danger. A ram butts against a hedge and entangles its horns.
Petty people show off strength. Real ones don't even use it. Forcing your way through gets you stuck.
Line 4 · fourth · Yang
贞吉，悔亡。藩决不羸，壮于大舆之輹。
Stay true — fortune. Regret vanishes. The hedge opens — no entanglement. Power through the great wagon-axle.
The block dissolves when you stop ramming it. Patience moved more than force ever could.
Line 5 · fifth · Yin
丧羊于易，无悔。
Loses the ram with ease. No regret.
Let go of the thing you were fighting for. Turns out you didn't actually need it. No regret.
Line 6 · top · Yin
羝羊触藩，不能退，不能遂，无攸利。艰则吉。
A ram butts against a hedge — cannot retreat, cannot advance. Nothing benefits. Persevere through difficulty — fortune.
Stuck — can't go forward, can't go back. The only way out is patience. Brute force is what got you here.
Related hexagrams
- Inverted (turned upside down): Hexagram 33, Retreat
- Complement (every line reversed): Hexagram 20, Contemplation