No. 26 The Taming Power of the Great
山天大畜 · Dàchù · Heaven under Mountain
“Store up strength now. Big things are held back on purpose, for a larger use.”
Lower trigram ☰ Heaven 乾 — inherent order of reality
Upper trigram ☶ Mountain 艮 — stillness & boundary
Trigram: a three-line symbolic figure that forms one half of an I Ching hexagram.
- Stored strength
- Restraint
- Building capacity
- Patient holding
- Large reserve
Introduction
Heaven is held inside the mountain: great power kept in a fixed place. The Taming Power of the Great pictures strength being stored rather than spent.
In practice, this names a stretch for building capacity. The holding is deliberate, not a blockage.
The judgement
“The Taming Power of the Great. Perseverance furthers. Not eating at home brings good. It furthers one to cross the great water.”
In plain words: storing strength works, and persistence is what makes it useful. The old text adds that leaving home to serve brings good.
Read it as preparation for a large crossing. What you are holding now is meant for something bigger than today.
Core themes
- Holding back here is building, not blocking.
- Capacity stored now is what makes the later crossing possible.
- Study and practice count as stored strength.
Line-by-line overview
Six lines, read bottom to top — matching the figure above.
Each line describes one stage in an evolving situation. Line 1 marks the earliest, foundational beginning; line 6 shows where the pattern has run its course. Open a line to read it.
Line 1 初九
At the base, the pressure is on and the answer is to stop.
The old line says desisting furthers. Pushing tends to spend what you are saving.
Line 2 九二
Here the carriage is dismantled on purpose, so it cannot roll yet.
Taking yourself out of motion is the point, not a breakdown.
A held vehicle stays ready.
Line 3 九三
At this level, strength moves with others and keeps to a routine.
The old line pairs awareness of danger with daily practice of the difficult skills.
Rehearsing the hard part is what makes the crossing safe.
Line 4 六四
Here restraint is fitted before the strength is fully grown.
The old image is a board fixed to a young bull’s horns.
Early limits prevent damage later.
Line 5 六五
At the centre, the dangerous part is removed at the source.
The old line finds good in it, because the strength remains while the weapon does not.
Line 6 上九
At the top, the holding is complete and the way opens.
The old line calls it attaining the way of heaven.
Strength stored for years, released once at the right moment, tends to travel further than anyone watching expected.
Summary
Read as a whole, this figure asks you to build capacity and hold it deliberately. Practise the hard parts now, fit the limits early, and wait for the larger crossing.
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Hexagram 26 · The Taming Power of the Great 大畜
A way to look at what is moving around you now, not a fixed answer. Notice your inner state, then decide how to act.
This is a stretch for building reserves in the bond rather than spending them.
Quiet shared routines tend to store more than one intense conversation.
People often press for closeness when the bond is simply gathering. Pressing tends to spend it.
Notice what you are saving energy for together.
Ultimately, your real-world facts and personal choices will shape how things unfold.
This hexagram contains 1 changing line. You may read detailed line interpretations inside the full hexagram-knowledge page. If you want to deepen your understanding of changing lines and line positions, please visit our I-Ching six-line learning page.
Read the full guide →- Notice one routine you two could keep. Kept routines tend to carry hard weeks. Intensity alone tends to fade between occasions.
- Ask whether restraint is protecting something or avoiding it. Protection tends to build. Avoidance tends to leave the issue waiting.
Related reading
Short reads from the blog. A changing line is a line that may shift as a situation moves.
Working with changing lines
Learn about changing lines and how to interpret them
Expectation & inner honesty
Set proper expectations before your reflection reading
Understanding changing lines
Strength held until the line moves.
Related hexagrams
Innocence · 无妄
Read it the other way up
No. 27Providing Nourishment · 颐
The hexagram after this one
No. 24Return · 复
The hexagram before this one
If you would like to browse all 64 hexagrams, visit All 64 Hexagrams.
If you would like to learn about static hexagrams and the interpretation rules for changing lines within I-Ching, please visit our general guide: Understanding Changing & Static Lines.