I Ching · King Wen 26
Hexagram 26: Great Taming
䷙ 大畜 Dà Chù · also called The Taming Power of the Great, Great Accumulating, Great Restraint · Keeping Still above The Creative
Great power held and stored: strength restrained by something firm, gathering for a large task.
accumulationdisciplinestrengthstudyreadiness
The meaning of Hexagram 26
Heaven below, mountain above: heaven's force held within a mountain. Great Taming describes creative power accumulated and disciplined by something solid, and the tradition treats it as very favourable: it is worth crossing the great water, and it is worth not eating at home, which means taking one's talents into public service. The reading says you have, or are gathering, real strength, and that the restraint on it is not an obstacle but the thing that makes it usable. Study, character and stored knowledge are the mountain's contents. The time for the large undertaking is near.
The image. Heaven within the mountain; the wise person studies the words and deeds of the past to strengthen character.
- Advice
- Store your strength under discipline, prepare thoroughly, then undertake the large task.
- Warning
- Strength released before the taming is complete scatters what took years to gather.
over
Structure: ☰ The Creative (Heaven) below, ☶ Keeping Still (Mountain) above. Nuclear hexagram 54, The Marrying Maiden. Every line reversed: 45, Gathering Together.
Hexagram 26 for love and relationships
Strong feeling, held with discipline. The restraint is right for now and it is building something. The reading supports commitment to a substantial relationship and warns against wasting the accumulated strength on impulse.
Hexagram 26 for career
Real capability stored and about to be used. The reading favours the large undertaking and public responsibility. Prepare thoroughly; the restraint you feel is the mountain doing its work.
Hexagram 26 for money
Accumulation: saving, building reserves, restraining spending so that a large investment becomes possible. The reading supports the big move once the store is sufficient, not before.
Hexagram 26 for decisions
Decide for the substantial, well-prepared option. The reading supports crossing the great water. Ask whether the strength has been gathered; if it has, go.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
One attains the way of heaven. Success.
The accumulation is complete and the restraint lifts; strength moves freely because it has been fully disciplined. The line is the release of everything the hexagram stored, and it promises success.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 11, Peace. Read line 6 →
The tusk of a gelded boar. Good fortune.
Handling a dangerous force not by opposing it directly but by removing its root. The boar's tusk is harmless once its nature is changed. The line describes the indirect, intelligent taming of something fierce.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 9, Small Taming. Read line 5 →
The headboard of a young bull. Great good fortune.
Restraining wild strength before its horns have grown, so that it never becomes dangerous. Prevention at the earliest stage. The line is highly fortunate because the discipline costs almost nothing when applied early.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 14, Great Possession. Read line 4 →
A good horse that follows others. Awareness of danger and persistence further. Practise chariot driving daily. It furthers to have somewhere to go.
The way opens and strength can move, alongside others of like mind. The line asks for daily practice and continued caution: the release of stored power is a skill, not a spasm.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 41, Decrease. Read line 3 →
The axletrees are taken from the wagon.
Held back so firmly that movement is impossible, and accepting it gracefully. The wagon cannot go, so one does not try. The line describes restraint accepted without struggle, which preserves strength for later.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 22, Grace. Read line 2 →
Danger is at hand. It furthers to desist.
The impulse to move meets a firm block, and the correct response is to stop. Pushing against the restraint now would be a waste. The line trusts the obstacle.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 18, Work on What Has Been Spoiled. Read line 1 →
Related hexagrams
Cast your own reading
Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.
Ask the I Ching →Common questions
- What does I Ching Hexagram 26 mean?
- Great power held and stored: strength restrained by something firm, gathering for a large task. Heaven below, mountain above: heaven's force held within a mountain. Great Taming describes creative power accumulated and disciplined by something solid, and the tradition treats it as very favourable: it is worth crossing the great water, and it is worth not eating at home, which means taking one's talents into public service. The reading says you have, or are gathering, real strength, and that the restraint on it is not an obstacle but the thing that makes it usable. Study, character and stored knowledge are the mountain's contents. The time for the large undertaking is near.
- What does Hexagram 26 mean for love?
- Strong feeling, held with discipline. The restraint is right for now and it is building something. The reading supports commitment to a substantial relationship and warns against wasting the accumulated strength on impulse.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 26 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 18, Work on What Has Been Spoiled; line 2 gives Hexagram 22, Grace; line 3 gives Hexagram 41, Decrease; line 4 gives Hexagram 14, Great Possession; line 5 gives Hexagram 9, Small Taming; line 6 gives Hexagram 11, Peace. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 45, Gathering Together.