I Ching · Hexagram 26 of 64
Hexagram 26: Da Chu （大畜） — Great Taming
Da Chu is Mountain over Heaven: a mountain in the sky, which is called the spirit mountain, the mountain that reaches Heaven, where the gate of the mysterious pass is found. The hexagram teaches the nourishing of the greater self, the cultivation of the heart and the fostering of the spirit until one becomes a great person and a sage, continuing the work of innocence and diminished desire.
At a glance
| Hexagram | 26 of 64 |
|---|---|
| Name | Da Chu 大畜 · Great Taming |
| Upper trigram | Gen （艮）· Mountain |
| Lower trigram | Qian （乾）· Heaven |
| Structure | Mountain over Heaven |
| Lines | 6 lines |
The Judgment （卦辞）
Great Taming. It is favorable to be steadfast. Not to eat at home. Good fortune. It is favorable to cross the great water.
ExplainedGreat taming is to nourish the greater self and to cultivate the virtue of a sage, for the aim of cultivation is to build virtue rather than to improve one's comforts: the more one cultivates, the finer the character, until greed, anger and delusion are gone and the spirit is refined. Benefit is the harmony of rightness poured out for all beings, and steadfastness is wisdom, uprightness and firm virtue, with which one can complete every task without spoiling it. Not eating at home means no longer caring only for one's own household but going out to nourish the worthy; and to cross the great water is to break through any difficulty, for the benevolent have no enemy.
Tuan Zhuan — Commentary on the Judgment （彖传）
Great Taming. Firm and strong, solid and true, shining, daily renewing his virtue. The firm is above and he honors the worthy; he can rest in strength: great correctness. Not to eat at home brings good fortune: he nourishes the worthy. It is favorable to cross the great water: he answers to Heaven.
ExplainedFirm strength and solid truth that shine describe the bearing of one who nourishes the greater self: strength that labors without weariness and is ill without pain, steadiness that is unashamed before Heaven above and men below, a radiance that walks step by step along the bright road, and a virtue renewed every day, like a lotus of a thousand petals opening without end. The firm rising and honoring the worthy means strength turned upward in reverence for good friends and sages rather than in grasping. To rest in strength is to settle the heart in fulfilling one's vows, both great and correct; to go out is to nourish sages; and to answer to Heaven is to move with its support, as when the sea divided before Moses.
Xiang Zhuan — Image Commentary （大象）
Heaven within the mountain: Great Taming. Thus the noble one learns many words and past deeds, in order to nourish his virtue.
ExplainedConfucius read heaven within the mountain as the boundless heavenly principle within the spirit mountain, the mysterious pass that reaches Heaven, not the visible sky but the principle seen only when the light is turned inward. The noble one stores up the words of the ancient sages and holds them in mind to correct his own speech and conduct, and he also goes forward to fulfill his vows and do the work. Knowing and doing must pair with each other, for action without understanding has no wisdom and spoils affairs, while the two together advance virtue daily.
The Six Lines （六爻）
The lines are read from the bottom upward. Each carries its own text, a Small Image commentary, and a plain-English reading.
Line 1 · YangLine 1
There is danger. It is favorable to stop.
Small ImageThere is danger, favorable to stop: he does not incur calamity.
ExplainedThis is the first stage of nourishing the heart. To stop is to put on the brake: one who truly cultivates feels impending harm keenly, and when a bad person or a wounding word appears, he halts or withdraws the word before it is spoken. Not incurring calamity means offending neither Heaven nor man, neither provoking illness nor causing trouble by speech.
Line 2 · YangLine 2
The carriage parts from its axle.
Small ImageThe carriage parts from its axle: in the center there is no blame.
ExplainedThe axle of the utilitarian carriage falls away: one who has spent his days weighing gain and loss finds he no longer has the heart to drive that wagon, and the road of profit-seeking ends for him. Turning from fame and gain to the Way and virtue, life changes shape, and there is no resentment in the heart. This is not incapacity but a loss of interest in the contest.
Line 3 · YangLine 3
A good horse follows. It is favorable to be firm through hardship. Day by day he practices driving and guarding. It is favorable to go forward.
Small ImageIt is favorable to go forward: he joins his purpose with what is above.
ExplainedThe thoroughbred gallops in the open field, having left the carriage of fame and gain for cultivation, and so must endure hardship, for the true Way is truly tested and no one becomes firm without testing. To practice driving is to master the six senses like six dragons, using the three treasures to break greed, anger and delusion and restore body, mind and spirit. Joining purpose with what is above means the will now accords with Heaven, which is to save all beings.
Line 4 · YinLine 4
The young bull's horns are protected by a board. Supreme good fortune.
Small ImageThe supreme good fortune of the fourth six: there is joy.
ExplainedA wooden bar is set on the young bull's head to keep its horns from butting: the protection of Heaven now enters, for one has vowed to save all beings and complete the younger ones. Supreme good fortune is to embrace the one and hold it fast, the mind undivided. Such a one lives in the joy and gladness of the Way, and sustained practice brings the water to the boil and joy overflows, so that virtue keeps growing.
Line 5 · YinLine 5
The tusks of the gelded boar. Good fortune.
Small ImageThe good fortune of the fifth six: there is celebration.
ExplainedA boar is gelded and its tusks drawn: a person of ripened cultivation no longer wounds with his words, for the tongue and lips kill invisibly and one sharp sentence can be remembered for a lifetime. This line puts great weight on practice, since most human relations rot through wounded speech and words lodge in the heart like thorns. There is celebration when every sentence completes, encourages and lifts, and never depresses or embitters.
Line 6 · YangLine 6
He carries the great highway of Heaven. Success.
Small ImageHe carries the highway of Heaven: the Way greatly prevails.
ExplainedThe highway opens wide, east and west, north and south, the great road of Heaven, and this very place is the heavenly realm, reached not by long travel but here and now. Heart and nature are now wholly cultivated: harm avoided, the taste for gain faded, testing welcomed, Heaven's protection received and speech made a blessing; and so one enters the great road and the Way prevails in the world.
Key takeaway
Great Taming nourishes the greater self: heart and nature cultivated until one becomes a great person, with knowledge and action reinforcing each other.
Frequently asked questions
What does Hexagram 26 (Da Chu) mean in the I Ching?
Da Chu is Mountain over Heaven: a mountain in the sky, which is called the spirit mountain, the mountain that reaches Heaven, where the gate of the mysterious pass is found. The hexagram teaches the nourishing of the greater self, the cultivation of the heart and the fostering of the spirit until one becomes a great person and a sage, continuing the work of innocence and diminished desire.
What is the judgment of Hexagram 26?
Great Taming. It is favorable to be steadfast. Not to eat at home. Good fortune. It is favorable to cross the great water. Great taming is to nourish the greater self and to cultivate the virtue of a sage, for the aim of cultivation is to build virtue rather than to improve one's comforts: the more one cultivates, the finer the character, until greed, anger and delusion are gone and the spirit is refined. Benefit is the harmony of…
What do the six lines of Hexagram 26 say?
Line 1: There is danger. It is favorable to stop. Line 2: The carriage parts from its axle. Line 3: A good horse follows. It is favorable to be firm through hardship. Day by day he practices driving and guarding. It is favorable to go forward. Line 4: The young bull's horns are protected by a board. Supreme good fortune. Line 5: The tusks of the gelded boar. Good fortune. Line 6: He carries the great highway of Heaven. Success.
What is the main lesson of Hexagram 26 (Great Taming)?
Great Taming nourishes the greater self: heart and nature cultivated until one becomes a great person, with knowledge and action reinforcing each other.
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