Hexagram 34
Great Power
大壯
Upper
Thunder · 震
the arousing, movement
Lower
Heaven · 乾
the creative, strong
Contemporary judgment
Great power. Considerable strength is now available to you, but strength without restraint is exactly how powerful things destroy themselves. The art of this moment is to use only as much force as the situation actually requires, and no more. Restraint here is the real mark of power.
Image
Thunder in the heavens. The superior person does not step into paths that deviate from what is right.
Counsel
Check your motives. Are you acting because the situation genuinely calls for action, or because you finally feel strong enough to impose your will? Power used from the first stance becomes wisdom; power used from the second becomes regret. When unsure, use less force, not more.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A nine at the beginning means: Power in the toes. To continue brings misfortune. This is certainly true.
Line 2
A nine in the second place means: Perseverance brings good fortune.
Line 3
A nine in the third place means: The petty one works through power; the noble one does not do so. To continue is dangerous. A he-goat butts against a hedge and tangles its horns.
Line 4
A nine in the fourth place means: Perseverance brings good fortune. Remorse vanishes. The hedge opens; there is no entanglement. Power rests on the axle of a great wagon.
Line 5
A six in the fifth place means: He loses the goat with ease. No remorse.
Line 6
A six at the top means: A goat butts against a hedge: it cannot go back, it cannot go forward. Nothing is furthering. If one notices the difficulty, that brings good fortune.
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.