Hexagram 14
Great Possession - Abundance
大有
Meaning and Overview
The hexagram Great Possession is the inverse of the hexagram Fellowship. In Fellowship, the upper trigram is Qian (Heaven) and the lower is Li (Fire); in Great Possession, the upper is Li and the lower is Qian. Among the sixty-four hexagrams of the Zhouyi, the hexagram Modesty has all six lines auspicious and without disadvantage—it can be considered the best hexagram. I believe Great Possession is the second best; it contains no inauspicious lines, especially the top line, which is excellent: 'Heaven's blessing, good fortune without disadvantage.' Confucius in the Great Treatise mentions this line repeatedly, showing his high regard for Great Possession. Modesty has a single yang line at the third place; Great Possession has a single yin line at the fifth place. These two hexagrams contain profound principles worthy of careful study. The ruling line of Great Possession is the fifth, a yin line that determines the hexagram's nature. Its line text is excellent: 'Sincerity in dealings, majesty, good fortune.' The ruler and ministers interact with sincerity, mutual trust, and the ruler's authority, leading to good fortune. The hexagram statement also says 'Great Success,' meaning thorough communication, with the ruler and subjects sharing the same will and feelings without obstruction. The Great Treatise's explanation of Great Possession, focusing on the fifth line, is very apt. The reason the hexagram and line texts of Great Possession are so good is that the fifth line occupies the honored position, the middle of the upper trigram, thus called 'great centrality.' The yang lines above and below all respond to the fifth yin line, which follows the way of Heaven—hence Great Success and thorough communication.
Chinese Interpretation
《大有》卦与《同人》卦相反，《同人》卦的上卦是乾，下卦是离，而《大有》卦的上卦是离，下卦是乾。在《周易》六十四卦里面，《谦》卦六爻是吉无不利，《谦》卦可以说是最好的卦，我认为《大有》卦是第二好的卦，《大有》卦没有凶爻，尤其是上九非常好，“自天祐之，吉无不利”，孔子在《系辞传》里面多次提到，可见孔子对《大有》卦的重视。《谦》卦是九三一个阳爻，《大有》卦是六五一个阴爻，这两个卦蕴含着深刻道理，值得我们仔细琢磨。《大有》卦的主爻是六五，六五一个阴爻决定全卦性质，六五爻辞很好，“厥孚交如，威如，吉”。君臣之间诚信相交，相感，相信，君主有威信，因此会吉利。卦辞也说“元亨”，大通，君臣上下心志情感相通，没有隔。《系辞传》解释《大有》卦抓住六五爻这个主要问题，很到位。《大有》卦卦爻辞很好的原因，是因为六五爻居于尊位，五爻居上卦中位，因此说大中，上下阳爻都呼应六五爻，六五爻顺承天道而行，当然元亨大通了。
Line Interpretations
These passages include the core hexagram statement, the six moving line texts, and traditional commentary where available. Read them as layered guidance: the early lines describe the root of the situation, while later lines reveal development, pressure, and outcome.
元亨。
一开始就畅通无阻。
Great Success.
Unimpeded from the very beginning.
初九，无交害，匪咎，艰则无咎。
初九爻，不会涉及祸害，不会有过失，戒骄戒躁、谨慎小心，当然不会有过失。
Nine at the beginning: No involvement in harm, no blame. If in difficulty, no blame.
The first line: No involvement in harm, no fault. If cautious and careful, naturally no fault.
九二，大车以载，有攸往，无咎。
九二爻，用大车载满财物，利于前行，不会有过失。
Nine in the second: A large cart loaded with goods. Going somewhere, no blame.
The second line: A large cart filled with valuables, favorable for proceeding, no fault.
九三，公用亨于天子，小人弗克。
九三爻，王公向天子进献祭品，小人不能担当此任。
Nine in the third: The duke offers a feast to the Son of Heaven. The petty man cannot do this.
The third line: The duke presents offerings to the Son of Heaven; the petty man cannot undertake this task.
九四，匪其彭，无咎。
九四爻，不炫耀盛大，没有过失。
Nine in the fourth: Not displaying his greatness, no blame.
The fourth line: Not flaunting his abundance, no fault.
六五，厥孚交如，威如，吉。
六五爻，以诚信交往，有威严，吉祥。
Six in the fifth: His sincerity in dealings, majestic, good fortune.
The fifth line: Dealing with sincerity, possessing majesty, auspicious.
上九，自天祐之，吉无不利。
上九爻，上天保佑，吉祥没有不利。
Nine at the top: Heaven's blessing, good fortune without disadvantage.
The top line: Heaven bestows blessing, auspicious without any disadvantage.