Hexagram 26 of 64
The Taming Power of the Great
大畜 (Dà Chù)
Great Taming (dà chù) — containing and cultivating immense potential
Great PotentialAs shown in classical I Ching texts
Composition
Upper Trigram
Still, keeping, meditative — the power of not-moving
Outer situation / environment
Lower Trigram
Creative, initiating, strong — the power that begins things
Inner situation / your state
Interaction
Mountain above Heaven — peak meeting sky. The outer energy of mountain shapes the inner disposition of heaven.
Meaning
Great accumulated force held in check — when released, it will be immensely powerful.
Classical Judgment
“The Taming Power of the Great. Perseverance furthers. Not eating at home brings good fortune.”
The classical judgment is the original oracle text — the answer the I Ching gives when this hexagram appears.
The Image
Heaven within the mountain. The superior one acquaints oneself with many sayings of antiquity.
The Image is a nature scene associated with this hexagram — a symbolic picture that distils its essence. In classic texts, meditating on the Image was considered the proper way to absorb the hexagram's teaching.
Nuclear Hexagram
Lines 2–5 of this hexagram form an inner hexagram called the nuclear hexagram. It reveals the hidden seed or underlying dynamic within the situation — what lies at the core beneath the surface.
#54 — Hidden within
The Marrying Maiden
歸妹 (Guī Mèi) · Transition
In a Reading
When hexagram 26 appears in your reading, the I Ching is drawing your attention to the quality of great potential. Sit with the Image — “Heaven within the mountain” — and consider how this pattern is playing out in your current situation. The Judgment offers the oracle’s direct guidance on how to move with this energy rather than against it.
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