Hexagram 26
Great Taming
大畜
Upper
Mountain · 艮
keeping still
Lower
Heaven · 乾
the creative, strong
Contemporary judgment
Great taming. Strong energies are gathered and held by a still, steady discipline. Power here is not discharged impulsively; it is stored, refined, and directed. The cultivation of character is daily and unglamorous, but this is how real greatness is built.
Image
Heaven within the mountain. The superior person studies the words and deeds of the ancients and so nourishes their character.
Counsel
Commit to a real practice and stay with it. Study what is excellent; keep company with what is worthy. Do not expect quick returns from this work, and do not abandon it when the reward is slow in coming. The capacity you are building now will support something large.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A nine at the beginning means: Danger is at hand. It is favorable to desist.
Line 2
A nine in the second place means: The axles are removed from the wagon.
Line 3
A nine in the third place means: A good horse that follows others. Favorable is awareness of danger and perseverance. Practice daily in driving the wagon and in defensive arms. It is favorable to have somewhere to go.
Line 4
A six in the fourth place means: The headboard of a young bull. Great good fortune!
Line 5
A six in the fifth place means: The tooth of a gelded boar. Good fortune!
Line 6
A nine at the top means: One attains the way of heaven. Success.
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.