Hexagram 34: Da Zhuang

Thunder over Heaven · 雷天大壮 · Tendency: Auspicious

Structure

• Number: 34 (King Wen sequence)
• Symbol: ䷡
• Upper trigram: Zhen (Thunder)
• Lower trigram: Qian (Heaven)
• Lines: yang yang yang yang yin yin (bottom to top)

The statement

利贞。

——《周易》

What this hexagram indicates

This hexagram indicates great strength and formidable momentum, making it suitable for advancing important tasks. The key is to be strong yet measured, acting in accordance with rules and propriety. Do not dominate others or act rashly just because you have the upper hand; unchecked power will ultimately harm yourself.

A Buddhist reading

Da Zhuang (Great Strength) follows from Retreat: the finer the work of withdrawal, the stronger one grows in spirit and virtue. Ouyi Zhixu notes that a person contains a greater self and a lesser self; following the greater makes one a great person, following the lesser makes one small. Firmness means desire cannot bend you, movement means old habits cannot fence you in, and that is real strength. He repeats the warning against leaning on it: rely on being great to prove you are right and rightness turns crooked; rely on strength to prove greatness and greatness will not last. Refusing what is improper he reads as the Buddhist thunder of precepts rooted in compassion.

After Ouyi Zhixu (1599-1655), whose Chan commentary on the Changes reads each hexagram as a stage of practice.

The statement is quoted from the Book of Changes, which is in the public domain. The English reading on this page was prepared for this library.

Related hexagrams

• Previous / Inverted: Hexagram 33: Dunthe whole figure turned upside down
• Next: Hexagram 35: Jin
• Opposite: Hexagram 20: Guanevery line changed to its opposite
• Nuclear: Hexagram 43: Guailines two to four below, three to five above

Related

• Liu Yao Divination ChartLiu Yao casts a hexagram about one specific matter and reads its structure. Unlike BaZi or Zi Wei, which describe a person, Liu Yao describes how a situation stands at a particular moment. This page walks through the full process from casting to attribution.
• Mei Hua Yi Shu CalculatorMei Hua Yi Shu is traditionally attributed to Shao Yong. What sets it apart is how freely it casts: a time, a spoken number, a direction or something noticed in passing will all serve. It attaches no stems and no relatives, reading the trigrams directly. This page covers casting through to the subject and object.