Hexagram 26 Da Xu - Complete Guide Part 1: The Symbol and Structure of the Great Taming Power
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BY NICOLE LAU
Hexagram 26 Da Xu - Complete Guide Part 1: The Symbol and Structure of the Great Taming Power
Da Xu is the I Ching’s great hexagram of accumulation — of the patient, sustained gathering of genuine inner virtue that is the foundation of all genuine great undertakings. The character da (大) means great, large, vast; the character xu (畜) means to tame, to accumulate, to nourish, to restrain. Together, da xu (大畜) means the great taming power, the great accumulation — the image of the mountain that contains and tames the creative force of heaven, the vast storehouse of genuine inner virtue that the person of genuine great undertaking has accumulated through patient, sustained practice. Da Xu is one of the most powerful hexagrams in the I Ching: the great accumulation of genuine inner virtue is the foundation of all genuine great undertakings.
The Structure of Da Xu
Binary and Trigram
Da Xu is Hexagram 26 in the King Wen sequence. Its binary structure is 111001 inverted — actually 100111: a yin line at the top, then a yang line, then a yin line, then three yang lines at the bottom. Wait — the correct binary of Da Xu is 100111: three yang lines below (Qian/Heaven), then a yin line, a yang line, and a yang line above (Gen/Mountain). The structural key of Da Xu is the relationship between the three yang lines of heaven below and the mountain above: the vast creative force of heaven is contained and tamed by the mountain, the genuine inner virtue that has accumulated through patient, sustained practice.
The Two Trigrams
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Lower trigram: Qian (乾) — Heaven, Creative, Strength
Heaven is the image of the genuine creative force — the quality that creates all things with genuine strength and genuine clarity. In Da Xu, the heaven of genuine creative force is in the lower position: the vast creative energy that is being contained and tamed by the mountain above. The heaven of Da Xu is the heaven of genuine creative power that has been accumulated and tamed: the genuine creative force that has been disciplined by the mountain of genuine inner virtue. -
Upper trigram: Gen (艮) — Mountain, Stillness, Keeping Still
Mountain is the image of genuine stillness — the quality that keeps still, that does not move unnecessarily, that provides the genuine stability that genuine inner virtue requires. In Da Xu, the mountain of genuine stillness is above the heaven of genuine creative force: the vast, stable mountain that contains and tames the creative force of heaven, the genuine inner virtue that has accumulated through patient, sustained practice. The mountain of Da Xu is the mountain of the great accumulation: the vast storehouse of genuine inner virtue that the person of genuine great undertaking has built through decades of patient practice.
The Image: Heaven Within the Mountain
The Xiang Zhuan (Image Commentary) states: “Heaven within the mountain: the image of the Taming Power of the Great. Thus the superior man acquaints himself with many sayings of antiquity and many deeds of the past, in order to strengthen his character thereby.”
Heaven within the mountain is the image of the great accumulation: the vast creative force of heaven that has been contained within the mountain of genuine inner virtue. The superior man who acquaints himself with many sayings of antiquity and many deeds of the past — who accumulates the genuine wisdom of the ancients through patient, sustained study — is the practical expression of Da Xu: the great accumulation of genuine inner virtue through the patient study of the words and deeds of the ancients.
The Judgment: Great Undertakings Become Possible
The Tuan Zhuan (Judgment Commentary) states: “The Taming Power of the Great. Perseverance furthers. Not eating at home brings good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water.”
Da Xu’s judgment is full of genuine power: perseverance furthers. The great accumulation of genuine inner virtue requires genuine perseverance — the patient, sustained practice that the great accumulation requires. Not eating at home brings good fortune: the person who does not stay at home — who goes out into the world to apply the great accumulation of genuine inner virtue — finds good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water: the great accumulation of genuine inner virtue makes the crossing of the great water possible — the genuine great undertaking that the great accumulation makes possible.
The Central Teaching: Accumulation as the Foundation of Great Undertakings
The central teaching of Da Xu is the nature of genuine great accumulation: the patient, sustained gathering of genuine inner virtue that is the foundation of all genuine great undertakings. The person of Da Xu does not attempt the great undertaking before the great accumulation is complete; they accumulate genuine inner virtue through patient, sustained practice until the great accumulation is sufficient for the great undertaking. The result follows naturally — it furthers one to cross the great water — not because the person rushed the great undertaking but because the great accumulation of genuine inner virtue naturally makes the great undertaking possible.
The Natural Sequence: From Wu Wang to Da Xu
The Xu Gua Zhuan (Sequence Commentary) states: “Having no falsehood, one can accumulate. Hence after Wu Wang comes Da Xu.” The natural sequence from Wu Wang (Innocence) to Da Xu (The Great Taming Power) is the I Ching’s account of how genuine great accumulation emerges from genuine innocence: the person who acts with genuine innocence (Wu Wang) naturally accumulates the genuine inner virtue that the great taming power requires (Da Xu). Genuine great accumulation is the natural consequence of genuine innocence: the person who acts without falsehood, without calculation, without ulterior motive naturally accumulates the genuine inner virtue that the great undertaking requires.
Correspondences and Relationships
- Paired hexagram (Bi Gua): Hexagram 25 Wu Wang (Innocence) — Da Xu and Wu Wang are paired: the great taming power (Da Xu) and genuine innocence (Wu Wang) are the two faces of the same genuine inner virtue.
- Inverse hexagram (Zong Gua): Hexagram 25 Wu Wang (Innocence) — the inverse of Da Xu is Wu Wang: the mountain above heaven (Da Xu) inverted becomes the heaven above thunder (Wu Wang).
- Nuclear hexagram: Hexagram 54 Gui Mei (The Marrying Maiden) — the nuclear hexagram of Da Xu is Gui Mei. The great accumulation of Da Xu contains within itself the seeds of the genuine subordinate relationship that genuine great undertakings require: the genuine willingness to serve in a subordinate position while accumulating genuine inner virtue.
What Is Next in This Series
- Part 1 (This Article): The Symbol and Structure
- Part 2: The Six Lines — Complete Line-by-Line Commentary
- Part 3: Divination Guide — How to Read Da Xu in Practice
- Part 4: Philosophy — Da Xu in Confucian, Taoist, and Classical Thought
- Part 5: Practical Applications — Long-Term Accumulation, Patient Mastery, Delayed Gratification
- Part 6: Modern Interpretations — Deliberate Practice Science, Mastery Research, Long-Term Thinking
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