Ta
Kuo
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The Hexagram represents a beam that is thick and heavy in the middle but too weak at the ends. This is a conditio that cannot last; it must be changed, must pass, or misfortune will result.
THE JUDGMENT
PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT.
The ridgepole sags to the breaking point.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
Success.
Remorse disappears.
The weight of the great is excessive. The load is too heavy for the strength of th supports. The ridgepole on which the whole roof rests, sags to the breaking point, because its supporting ends are too weak for the load they bear. It is an exceptional time and situation; therefore extraordinary measures are demanded. It is necessary to find a way of transition as quickly as possible, and to take action. This promises success. For although the strong element is in excess, it is in the middle, that is, the center of gravity, so that a revolution is not to be feared. Nothing is to be achieved by forcible measures. The problem must be solved by gentle penetration to the meaning of the situation, then the changeover to other conditions will be successful. It demands real superiority; therefore the time when the great preponderates is a momentous time.
THE IMAGE
The lake rises above the trees:
The image of PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT.
Thus the superior man, when he stands alone,
Is unconcerned,
And if he has to renounce the world,
He is undaunted.
Extraordinary times when the great preponderates are like floodtimes when the lake rises over the treetops. But such conditions are temporary. The two tigrams indicate the proper attitude to such exceptional times: the symbol of the trigram Sun is the tree, which stands firm even though it stands alone, and the attribute of Tui is joyousness, which remains undaunted even if it must renounce the world.
THE LINES
Six at the beginning means:
To spread white rushes underneath.
No blame.
When a man wishes to undertake an enterprise in extraordinary times, he must be extraordinarily cautious, just as when setting a heavy thing down on the floor, one takes care to put rushes under it, so that nothing will break. This caution, though it may seem exagerated, is not a mistake. Exceptional enterprises cannot succeed unless utmost caution is observed in their beginnings and in the laying of their foundations.
Nine in the fifth place means:
A withered poplar puts fort flowers.
An older woman takes a husband.
No blame. No praise.
A withered poplar that flowers exhausts its energies thereby and only hastens its end. An older woman may marry once more, but no renewal takes place. Everything remains barren. Thus, though all the amenities are observed, the net result is only the anomaly of the situation. Applied to politics, the metaphor means that if in times of insecurity we give up alliance with those below us and keep up only the relationships we have with people of higher rank, an unstable situation is created.
(See below for the specific line’s significance and how to interpret it.)
SIGNIFICANCE OF SPECIFIC LINES DETERMINES
ITS STATUS AND FUNCTION IN A HEXAGRAM
LINE 1
Lines one and two are of the earth’s domain.
Line 1 represents an ordinary intellectual or a commoner.
In present times, it is perceived as the people.
At the position difficult to understand: as it just arrives at a hexagram, what will happen later is unknown at this point.
LINE 5
Lines five and six are of the heavenly domain.
Line five represents the king
In present times, it can be interpreted as the president
It is at the core of a hexagram and possesses the principle of moderation; or at the peak of a hexagram where the line reaches its full development.
