Hexagram 14, line 4
九四Line 4 of Great Holdings
Nine in the fourth place · 大有 dà yǒu
爻辭 The line text
匪其彭，无咎。The fourth line, undivided, shows its subject keeping his great resources under restraint. There will be no error.
匪其彭，无咎；明辨晰也。'He keeps his great resources under restraint:'—his wisdom discriminates clearly (what he ought to do).
In plain words
Line four is 'not in its fullness; no blame.' 彭 is swelling, display; this is the strong line standing right beside the yielding ruler at five, with every opportunity to overshadow her, and it chooses not to. Strong in a soft place, it has the give to hold itself back. The small Image credits the choice to insight: 'its clarity discerns distinctly' (明辨晰也) — four is the first line of Li, the trigram of brightness, and it sees exactly how far a subject may shine beside the throne. In the story of Da You this is the line that keeps the whole from tipping into excess.
If this line is changing
You could display more than you do; the clear-sighted move is to keep it in check, because standing next to the one in charge, your restraint is what makes you safe.
Where the line stands
- A solid line, yang — written 九 (nine), the number of an old yang line that moves when cast.
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
- It belongs to the upper trigram 離 Li (the Clinging) (fire).
- It has no correspondence (無應) with line 1: both lines are yang, so this line must find its support in its neighbours or in itself.
之卦 When this line moves
大有 Great Holdings becomes ䷙ 26 大畜 Great Accumulation
Heaven inside the mountain: great power held and stored. Firm correctness brings success; serve in public rather than eating at home, and the great river can be crossed.
What it becomes26 · 大畜 Great Accumulationdà chùThe six lines of 大有 Great Holdings
- 初九Nine at the beginningno harmful contact · remember the difficulty · beginning of plenty
- 九二Nine in the second placegreat wagon · bearing the load · accumulated strength
- 九三Nine in the third placeoffering to the king · noble service · small man cannot
- 九四Nine in the fourth placenot swelling · restraint near the ruler · clear discernment
- 六五Six in the fifth placesincerity exchanged · dignity · ruler of the hexagram
- 上九Nine at the tophelp from heaven · nothing not favourable · yielding above the ruler
Read 大有 Great Holdings for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Nine in the fourth place of hexagram 14, Great Holdings, mean?
- Line four is 'not in its fullness; no blame.' 彭 is swelling, display; this is the strong line standing right beside the yielding ruler at five, with every opportunity to overshadow her, and it chooses not to. Strong in a soft place, it has the give to hold itself back. The small Image credits the choice to insight: 'its clarity discerns distinctly' (明辨晰也) — four is the first line of Li, the trigram of brightness, and it sees exactly how far a subject may shine beside the throne. In the story of Da You this is the line that keeps the whole from tipping into excess.
- What does hexagram 14 become when line 4 changes?
- Great Holdings becomes hexagram 26, 大畜 Great Accumulation: Heaven inside the mountain: great power held and stored. Firm correctness brings success; serve in public rather than eating at home, and the great river can be crossed.
- Is line 4 of Great Holdings in its correct place?
- It is not in its correct place (不當位): a yang line in an even position or a yin line in an odd one, which the tradition reads as a line under some strain — often the reason a text sounds a warning.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).