Hexagram 26, line 4
六四Line 4 of Great Accumulation
Six in the fourth place · 大畜 dà chù
爻辭 The line text
童牛之牿，元吉。The fourth line, divided, shows the young bull, (and yet) having the piece of wood over his horns. There will be great good fortune.
六四元吉，有喜也。'The great good fortune indicated by the fourth line, divided,' shows that there is occasion for joy.
In plain words
'The horn-board on the young bull: great good fortune.' Line four is the first line of Gen, the restraining mountain, and it is yin in a correct place; its task is to tame the strong first line below, and because that strength is still young, a simple wooden bar across the horns is enough. This is the hexagram's model of restraint at the right moment — before the horns have grown, before the pushing has started. The small Image says there is 'cause for joy' (有喜也), and the verdict 元吉 is the strongest in the hexagram. Zhu Xi notes the ease of it: stopping a thing at its beginning costs almost nothing.
If this line is changing
Whatever you need to hold in check — a habit, an argument, someone's momentum — do it now while it is small and a light touch is enough.
Where the line stands
- A broken line, yin — written 六 (six), the number of an old yin line that moves when cast.
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
- It belongs to the upper trigram 艮 Gen (Keeping Still) (mountain).
- It corresponds (應) with line 1: one yin and one yang, the two lines answer each other across the hexagram.
之卦 When this line moves
大畜 Great Accumulation becomes ䷍ 14 大有 Great Holdings
Fire above heaven: the sun lighting everything. Great holdings and supreme success — one yielding line at the centre holds the respect of all the strong ones.
What it becomes14 · 大有 Great Holdingsdà yǒuThe six lines of 大畜 Great Accumulation
- 初九Nine at the beginningdanger ahead · stop · held back
- 九二Nine in the second placeaxle strap off · cannot move · no blame
- 九三Nine in the third placegood horses · daily practice · like-minded above
- 六四Six in the fourth placeyoung bull · check it early · great good fortune
- 六五Six in the fifth placegelded boar · remove the root · good fortune
- 上九Nine at the topheaven's road · accumulation complete · wide open
Read 大畜 Great Accumulation for a question about
Questions about this line
- What does Six in the fourth place of hexagram 26, Great Accumulation, mean?
- 'The horn-board on the young bull: great good fortune.' Line four is the first line of Gen, the restraining mountain, and it is yin in a correct place; its task is to tame the strong first line below, and because that strength is still young, a simple wooden bar across the horns is enough. This is the hexagram's model of restraint at the right moment — before the horns have grown, before the pushing has started. The small Image says there is 'cause for joy' (有喜也), and the verdict 元吉 is the strongest in the hexagram. Zhu Xi notes the ease of it: stopping a thing at its beginning costs almost nothing.
- What does hexagram 26 become when line 4 changes?
- Great Accumulation becomes hexagram 14, 大有 Great Holdings: Fire above heaven: the sun lighting everything. Great holdings and supreme success — one yielding line at the centre holds the respect of all the strong ones.
- Is line 4 of Great Accumulation in its correct place?
- It is in its correct place (當位): a yang line in an odd position or a yin line in an even one, which the tradition reads as a line at ease where it stands.
Chinese text: the received Zhouyi (Wuyingdian lineage). English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East XVI, 1882 (public domain).