Hexagram 14, line 6
上九Line 6 of Great Holdings
Nine at the top · 大有 dà yǒu
爻辭 The line text
自天祐之，吉无不利。The topmost line, undivided, shows its subject with help accorded to him from Heaven. There will be good fortune, advantage in every respect.
大有上吉，自天佑也。'The good fortune attached to the topmost line of Tâ Yû' arises from the help of Heaven.
In plain words
The top line is 'helped by heaven; good fortune, nothing not favourable' — the only top line in the I Ching to receive this unqualified blessing. A strong line above the yielding ruler, it might be expected to overbear her; instead it defers, and the Xici explains why heaven helps it: it 'treads on sincerity, thinks of compliance, and honours the worthy' — it keeps faith with five below, yields to her, and respects the strength she gathers. The small Image simply affirms 自天祐也. At the end of great possession, the excess that usually spoils a top line is transformed into the humility that is rewarded.
If this line is changing
At the height of what you have, defer to the one you serve and honour the able; the blessing of this line comes to strength that chooses to yield.
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 3: 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 ䷡ 34 大壯 Great Vigor
Thunder above heaven: great strength on the move. Favourable to persevere correctly — real power stays within the bounds of propriety; the ram that butts the hedge gets stuck.
What it becomes34 · 大壯 Great Vigordà zhuàngThe 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 at the top of hexagram 14, Great Holdings, mean?
- The top line is 'helped by heaven; good fortune, nothing not favourable' — the only top line in the I Ching to receive this unqualified blessing. A strong line above the yielding ruler, it might be expected to overbear her; instead it defers, and the Xici explains why heaven helps it: it 'treads on sincerity, thinks of compliance, and honours the worthy' — it keeps faith with five below, yields to her, and respects the strength she gathers. The small Image simply affirms 自天祐也. At the end of great possession, the excess that usually spoils a top line is transformed into the humility that is rewarded.
- What does hexagram 14 become when line 6 changes?
- Great Holdings becomes hexagram 34, 大壯 Great Vigor: Thunder above heaven: great strength on the move. Favourable to persevere correctly — real power stays within the bounds of propriety; the ram that butts the hedge gets stuck.
- Is line 6 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).