Hexagram 26 of 64 · Mountain ☶ over Heaven ☰
The Taming Power of the Great
Dà Chù
Great power held by great restraint — strength stored like a mountain stores its weight, until the time to release it.
The Judgment
The Taming Power of the Great: perseverance furthers. Not eating at home brings good fortune. It furthers one to cross the great water — strength that has been disciplined is ready for great things.
The Image
Heaven within the mountain: enormous force contained in stillness. The wise person acquaints themselves with many sayings of antiquity and many deeds of the past, in order to strengthen their character — power stored as knowledge and discipline.
Hexagram 26 Meaning
Where hexagram 9 was heaven restrained by a small thing, here heaven is restrained by a mountain — great strength held by great discipline. This is the athlete in training, the fortune accumulating, the knowledge being gathered before it is used. The restraint is not frustration but storage. The hexagram favours bold action (crossing the great water) and public service (not eating at home) — once the accumulation is complete. Study the past; it is the mountain that holds your heaven.
The Taming Power of the Great in Love
Strong feeling held in check by wisdom — not suppressed, but matured. If you are asking about someone, the connection has real force and the time to act on it is approaching but not here; use the wait to become steadier. In a relationship, this is a period of building: saving, planning, strengthening the foundation. The energy is being stored for something large — a home, a commitment, a shared undertaking.
The Taming Power of the Great in Career & Money
You are accumulating: skills, capital, reputation, a body of work. Keep going. The hexagram says the disciplined storing of power leads to great achievement, and it specifically favours going out into public life rather than staying private. Learn from those who came before. When the mountain finally releases its heaven, the effect is enormous — but the restraint must be complete first.
What to Do
Keep building and keep the discipline. Study what those before you did. Do not release the strength early. When the accumulation is done, act greatly and publicly — the great water is yours to cross.
The Taming Power of the Great as a Yes or No
yes
Yes — great strength has been accumulated and disciplined; the time to use it is near.
The Trigrams
Above: Mountain (艮 Gèn) — keeping still — stillness, boundary, the youngest son.
Below: Heaven (乾 Qián) — the creative — strength, initiative, the father.
The Six Lines of The Taming Power of the Great
Read when the line is moving (a 6 or 9 in the cast). Bottom line first.
- 1
Line 1 · yang
Danger is at hand, it furthers one to desist: strength meets restraint — do not push forward yet.
- 2
Line 2 · yang
The axle-trees are taken from the wagon: you are held firmly in place — accept the halt.
- 3
Line 3 · yang
A good horse that follows others, awareness of danger with perseverance furthers — practise chariot driving daily: the way opens; train and go.
- 4
Line 4 · yin
The headboard of a young bull, great good fortune: restrain a wild impulse before it grows horns — great success.
- 5
Line 5 · yin
The tusk of a gelded boar, good fortune: dealing with a force by removing its root rather than fighting it head-on.
- 6
Line 6 · yang
One attains the way of heaven, success: the restraint has finished its work — everything now furthers.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does hexagram 26, The Taming Power of the Great, mean?
Where hexagram 9 was heaven restrained by a small thing, here heaven is restrained by a mountain — great strength held by great discipline. This is the athlete in training, the fortune accumulating, the knowledge being gathered before it is used. The restraint is not frustration but storage. The hexagram favours bold action (crossing the great water) and public service (not eating at home) — once the accumulation is complete. Study the past; it is the mountain that holds your heaven.
What does The Taming Power of the Great mean in love?
Strong feeling held in check by wisdom — not suppressed, but matured. If you are asking about someone, the connection has real force and the time to act on it is approaching but not here; use the wait to become steadier. In a relationship, this is a period of building: saving, planning, strengthening the foundation. The energy is being stored for something large — a home, a commitment, a shared undertaking.
What does The Taming Power of the Great mean for career and money?
You are accumulating: skills, capital, reputation, a body of work. Keep going. The hexagram says the disciplined storing of power leads to great achievement, and it specifically favours going out into public life rather than staying private. Learn from those who came before. When the mountain finally releases its heaven, the effect is enormous — but the restraint must be complete first.
Is hexagram 26 a yes or a no?
The Taming Power of the Great answers "yes". Yes — great strength has been accumulated and disciplined; the time to use it is near.
Previous hexagram
25. Innocence
innocence
Next hexagram
27. Nourishment
nourishment
Last updated: August 30, 2026
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