大有
Dà Yǒu — Great Possession
upper trigram
離Fire (Clinging)lower trigram
乾Heaven (Strong)The Judgment
元亨。
Character-by-character gloss
Modern Interpretation
Supreme success. Strength and clarity unite. How does the yielding hold the strong? Through position, through timing, through the way heaven works. Possession in great measure accords with fate.
The Image
火在天上，大有。君子以遏惡揚善，順天休命。
Character-by-character gloss
Modern Interpretation
Fire in heaven, illuminating all below. The person of character curbs evil and promotes good, obeying heaven's benevolent will. With great possession comes responsibility to use it rightly.
火在天上，照亮下方的一切。有德行的人遏制惡，弘揚善，順應天的美意。擁有得多，責任也大——要用得正確。
The Six Lines
First (Bottom) Line
初九 无交害。匪咎。艱則无咎。
Modern Interpretation
No connection with harm. Not a mistake. Difficulty, then no blame. In the beginning of great possession, avoid harmful entanglements. Hardship at the start protects against blame later.
Second Line
九二 大車以載。有攸往。无咎。
Modern Interpretation
A large wagon for loading. Somewhere to go. No blame. You have the capacity to carry much and a destination for it. The resources match the task.
Third Line
九三 公用亨于天子。小人弗克 。
Modern Interpretation
A prince offers to the Son of Heaven. Small people cannot do this. Only those of genuine rank can make offerings to the highest. Inferiors attempting this fail.
Fourth Line
九四 匪其彭。无咎。
Modern Interpretation
Not full of himself. No blame. Avoiding arrogance in the midst of abundance—this is correct conduct. Restraint with power.
Fifth Line
六五 厥孚交如。威如。吉。
Modern Interpretation
His sincerity is mutual, dignified. Good fortune. When truth is exchanged between equals, and dignity maintained, everything prospers.
Sixth (Top) Line
上九 自天祐之。吉无不利。
Modern Interpretation
Blessed by heaven. Good fortune, nothing that does not further. The final line of great possession: help from above, complete success.
Yilin Verse
From the Forest of Changes (焦氏易林) — 大有 Dà Yǒu (Great Possession)
白虎張牙，征伐東來；朱雀前驅，讚道說辭；敵人請服，衘璧前趨。
The white tiger bares its fangs; it marches east to punish. The vermillion bird leads the vanguard, praising and proclaiming. The enemy sues for peace, bearing jade and rushing forward.
Full explanation
The White Tiger bares its fangs, leading a campaign from the east. The Vermilion Bird rides ahead as herald, chanting proclamations and delivering ultimatums. The enemy submits, bearing jade bi-discs as tokens of surrender. The verse deploys the celestial guardians of west and south as military vanguard and diplomatic envoy: White Tiger as the martial spearhead, Vermilion Bird as the voice of authority. From Great Possession to Great Possession — the hexagram unchanged — suggests a situation so fully realized it needs no transformation. The fire in heaven is at its zenith, and all opposing forces recognize its supremacy. This is possession confirmed by universal acknowledgment, power so complete that enemies come forward willingly.
Masterpiece
A work of art reflecting this hexagram's essence
Adele Bloch Bauer I
Klimt, Unknown
Klimt's 1907 portrait depicts wealthy patron Adele Bloch-Bauer adorned in elaborate gold-leaf patterns. The lavish display of wealth and social prominence connects to hexagram 14's theme of possession in great measure.
Wilhelm Commentary
Richard Wilhelm's classic translation and interpretation
The Judgment
The two trigrams indicate that strength and clarity unite. Possession in great measure is determined by fate and accords with the time. How is it possible that the weak line has power to hold the strong lines fast and to possess them? It is done by virtue of unselfish modesty. The time is favorable–a time of strength within, clarity and culture without. Power is expressing itself in graceful and controlled way. This brings supreme success and wealth.
The Image
The sun in heaven above, shedding light over everything on earth, is the image of possession on a grand scale. But a possession of this sort must be administered properly. The sun brings both evil and good into the light of day. Man must combat and curb the evil, and must favor and promote the good. Only in this way does he fulfill the benevolent will of God, who desires only good and not evil.
First (Bottom) Line
Great possession that is still in its beginnings and that has not yet been challenged brings no blame, since there has been no opportunity to make mistakes. Yet there are many difficulties to be overcome. It is only by remaining conscious of theses difficulties that one can keep inwardly free of possible arrogance and wastefulness, and thus in principle overcome all cause for blame.
Second Line
Great possession consists not only in the quantity of goods at one's disposal, but first and foremost, in their mobility and utility, for then they can be used in undertakings, and we remain free of embarrassment and mistakes. The big wagon, which will carry a heavy load and in which one can journey far means that there are at hand able helpers who give their support and are equal to their task. One can load great responsibility upon such persons, and this is necessary in important undertakings.
Third Line
A magnanimous, liberal-minded man should not regard what he possesses as his exclusive personal property, but should place it at the disposal of the ruler or of the people at large. In so doing, he takes the right attitude toward his possession, which as private property can never endure. A petty man is incapable of this. He is harmed by great possessions, because instead of sacrificing them, he would keep them for himself.
Fourth Line
This characterizes the position of a man placed among rich and powerful neighbors. It is a dangerous position. He must look neither to the right nor to the left, and must shun envy and the temptation to vie with others. In this way he remains free of mistakes.
Fifth Line
The situation is very favorable. People are being won not by coercion but by unaffected sincerity, so that they are attached to us in sincerity and truth. However, benevolence alone is not sufficient at the time of POSSESSION IN GREAT MEASURE. For insolence might begin to spread. Insolence must be kept in bounds by dignity; then good fortune is assured.
Sixth (Top) Line
In the fullness of possession and at the height of power, one remains modest and gives honor to the sage who stands outside the affairs of the world. By this means one puts oneself under the beneficent influence descending form heaven, and all goes well. Confucius says of this line: To bless means to help. Heaven helps the man who is devoted; men help the man who is true. He who walks in truth and is devoted in his thinking, and furthermore reveres the worthy, is blessed by heaven. He has good fortune, and there is nothing that would not further.