Hexagram 34 of 64 · Thunder ☳ over Heaven ☰
The Power of the Great
Dà Zhuàng
Great power in motion — strength that succeeds only when it is matched by the restraint not to butt every hedge.
The Judgment
The Power of the Great: perseverance furthers. Strength alone is not enough; strength that stays correct is what brings success.
The Image
Thunder above heaven: force joined to force, and the sound carries everywhere. The wise person does not tread upon paths that do not accord with established order — great power is bounded by principle, or it becomes brute force.
Hexagram 34 Meaning
Four yang lines rising with thunder on top: raw power, momentum, the season of the ram. You have strength now — real capability, resources, drive — and the hexagram is nearly entirely about how not to misuse it. The ram that butts against the hedge gets its horns tangled. Power that moves within right order succeeds; power that ignores it gets stuck. The question is not whether you are strong. It is whether you are strong and correct at the same time.
The Power of the Great in Love
Strong feelings, strong desire, a powerful sense of what you want. The hexagram cautions against charging: declarations that overwhelm, pursuit that tramples the other person’s pace, arguments won by force. Great power in love is restraint — the strength to want fiercely and still wait, still listen, still stay within what is right. Used that way, the momentum carries the relationship forward. Used as a battering ram, it gets tangled in the hedge.
The Power of the Great in Career & Money
You are in a position of strength — capable, resourced, ascendant. Excellent for ambitious moves, provided they are principled. The hexagram’s repeated warning is against the ram: do not force through every obstacle, do not throw your weight around, do not step outside proper process because you can. The strong person who stays correct is unstoppable. The strong person who does not gets their horns caught.
What to Do
Use your strength — and use it only within what is right. Do not butt the hedge. Pick the direction that accords with order, and then move with the full force you have.
The Power of the Great as a Yes or No
yes
Yes — you have the power for this; the only condition is to use it correctly and not force it.
The Trigrams
Above: Thunder (震 Zhèn) — the arousing — movement, shock, the eldest son.
Below: Heaven (乾 Qián) — the creative — strength, initiative, the father.
The Six Lines of The Power of the Great
Read when the line is moving (a 6 or 9 in the cast). Bottom line first.
- 1
Line 1 · yang
Power in the toes, continuing brings misfortune: pushing forward from the lowest position — certain to fail.
- 2
Line 2 · yang
Perseverance brings good fortune: the gate opens; strength that stays balanced succeeds.
- 3
Line 3 · yang
The inferior man works through power, the superior man does not act thus — a goat butts against a hedge and gets its horns entangled: do not use force where restraint is called for.
- 4
Line 4 · yang
Perseverance brings good fortune, remorse disappears — the hedge opens, there is no entanglement; power depends on the axle of a big cart: quiet, steady force removes the obstacle.
- 5
Line 5 · yin
Loses the goat with ease, no remorse: give up the stubborn, butting attitude — it is easily let go.
- 6
Line 6 · yin
A goat butts against a hedge, it cannot go backward, it cannot go forward, nothing serves to further; if one notes the difficulty, this brings good fortune: stuck — stop, recognise it, and the way opens.
Will The Power of the Great Appear in Your Cast?
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Frequently Asked Questions
What does hexagram 34, The Power of the Great, mean?
Four yang lines rising with thunder on top: raw power, momentum, the season of the ram. You have strength now — real capability, resources, drive — and the hexagram is nearly entirely about how not to misuse it. The ram that butts against the hedge gets its horns tangled. Power that moves within right order succeeds; power that ignores it gets stuck. The question is not whether you are strong. It is whether you are strong and correct at the same time.
What does The Power of the Great mean in love?
Strong feelings, strong desire, a powerful sense of what you want. The hexagram cautions against charging: declarations that overwhelm, pursuit that tramples the other person’s pace, arguments won by force. Great power in love is restraint — the strength to want fiercely and still wait, still listen, still stay within what is right. Used that way, the momentum carries the relationship forward. Used as a battering ram, it gets tangled in the hedge.
What does The Power of the Great mean for career and money?
You are in a position of strength — capable, resourced, ascendant. Excellent for ambitious moves, provided they are principled. The hexagram’s repeated warning is against the ram: do not force through every obstacle, do not throw your weight around, do not step outside proper process because you can. The strong person who stays correct is unstoppable. The strong person who does not gets their horns caught.
Is hexagram 34 a yes or a no?
The Power of the Great answers "yes". Yes — you have the power for this; the only condition is to use it correctly and not force it.
Previous hexagram
33. Retreat
strategic withdrawal
Next hexagram
35. Progress
advancement
Last updated: August 30, 2026
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