Hexagram 34 · ䷡
Great Power. It furthers to be persevering.
Judgment
Great Power. It furthers to be persevering.
Image
Thunder in heaven above represents Great Power. The noble person does not tread upon paths that violate established order.
Lines
Power in the toes—rushing forward at the start brings misfortune. Perseverance brings good fortune through holding to the middle way. The inferior person uses force; the superior p...
Great Power. It furthers to be persevering.
Great Power. It furthers to be persevering.
Great Power means that the great becomes strong. Through firmness in movement comes power. It furthers to be persevering, because the great must be right. When what is right is great, the nature of heaven and earth becomes visible.
Great Power means the great becomes strong. Through firmness in movement comes power. Perseverance furthers because greatness must be combined with rightness.
Thunder in heaven above: the image of Great Power. The noble person does not tread upon paths that do not accord with established order.
Thunder in heaven above represents Great Power. The noble person does not tread upon paths that violate established order.
Power in the toes. Continuing brings misfortune. There is assurance.
Power in the toes—rushing forward at the start brings misfortune.
Small Image
Power in the toes means he will certainly exhaust himself.
Power in the toes leads to certain exhaustion of strength.
Perseverance brings good fortune.
Perseverance brings good fortune through holding to the middle way.
Small Image
Nine in the second place means perseverance brings good fortune, because he holds to the middle.
Perseverance brings good fortune because of holding to the middle.
The inferior man uses power; the superior man uses a refusal. Perseverance brings danger. The goat butts against the hedge and gets its horns entangled.
The inferior person uses force; the superior person refrains. Perseverance brings danger. Like a goat butting a hedge, horns get entangled.
Small Image
The inferior man uses power, the superior man uses a refusal—the difference lies in their positions.
The difference between using force and refraining lies in their positions.
Perseverance brings good fortune. Remorse disappears. The hedge opens; there is no entanglement. Power depends on the axle of a big cart.
Perseverance brings good fortune; remorse disappears. The hedge opens, no entanglement. Power is like the axle of a great cart.
Small Image
Perseverance brings good fortune, remorse disappears, because he can still go forward.
Good fortune comes because he can still advance when the hedge opens.
Loses the goat in ease. No remorse.
Losing the goat in open ground—no remorse for this small loss.
Small Image
He loses the goat in ease because his place is not the proper one.
Losing the goat happens because the position is not proper.
The goat butts against the hedge. It cannot go backward, it cannot go forward. Nothing serves to further. If one notes the difficulty, this brings good fortune.
The goat butts the hedge, unable to advance or retreat. Nothing is furthered. Recognizing the difficulty brings good fortune.
Small Image
He cannot go backward, he cannot go forward: this is unfortunate. But if he notes the difficulty, the blame will not last long.
Being stuck brings misfortune, but recognizing difficulty leads to quick resolution.
What does Ta Chuang / The Power of the Great mean in the I Ching?
Great Power. It furthers to be persevering.
How should I study Hexagram 34 on this page?
Start with the judgment and image, then read the line statements in sequence. Power in the toes—rushing forward at the start brings misfortune. Perseverance brings good fortune through holding to the middle way. The inferior person uses force; the superior p...
How can this hexagram be applied in a modern reading?
Great Power means the great becomes strong. Through firmness in movement comes power. Perseverance furthers because greatness must be combined with rightness.
Primary text: Zhouyi / I Ching, including the Judgment, Image, line texts, and related commentaries.
Translation basis: public-domain and modern study references, with AI used only as a learning aid.