Chapter 1: The Hexagram Image Structure and Origin of the Name of Da You

Section 1: The Trigram Drawing and Hexagram Body

The hexagram Da You (䷍), has the upper trigram Li (☲, Fire) and the lower trigram Qian (☰, Heaven). In terms of the six lines, counted from the bottom up, they are: Initial Nine (初九), Second Nine (九二), Third Nine (九三), Fourth Nine (九四), Sixth Five (六五), and Upper Nine (上九).

The greatest characteristic of this hexagram is that among the six lines, only the Sixth Line Five (六五) is Yin; the remaining five lines are all Yang. This constitutes the structure referred to as "one yielding line occupying the position of honor, responded to by five firm lines" (一柔居尊，五刚应之). The Sixth Line Five occupies the central position of the upper trigram and is the ruler’s position of the entire hexagram. By governing the five Yang lines with one Yin line, it perfectly mirrors a wise ruler presiding over the court, where all virtuous officials gather and the four quarters submit, hence its name, "Da You" (Great Possession).

Why can one Yin line holding the supreme position govern five Yang lines$6 This question must be addressed from the principle of Yin and Yang. Yang represents the virtue of firmness, strength, and advance; Yin represents the virtue of yieldingness, receptivity, and containment. If there were five Yang lines without a Yin line, pure firmness would lack restraint, leading to excessive arrogance and blame; if one Yin line occupies the supreme position, it can govern the multitude of Yang lines through the way of yieldingness, allowing the virtue of firmness to find attachment, regulation, and fulfillment. This is like the North Star remaining in its place while the multitude of stars circle around it, or a benevolent ruler governing by non-action (wuwei) while all officials diligently carry out their duties.

The Xi Ci Zhuan (Commentary on the Images, Part I) states: "One Yin and one Yang is called the Dao" (一阴一阳之谓道). And further: "That which is immeasurable by Yin and Yang is called the Mysterious" (阴阳不测之谓神). The Da You hexagram, with one Yin line among five Yang lines, perfectly accords with the principle of Yin and Yang complementing each other, and firmness and yieldingness completing each other.

Section 2: The Significance of Upper Li over Lower Qian

Qian is Heaven, Li is Fire; Fire in the Sky constitutes Da You.

Why is Fire in Heaven considered Great Possession$7 This requires discussion on several levels.

First, Heaven is supremely high, and Fire is supremely bright; high and bright, it illuminates everything without exception.

The Shuogua Zhuan (Commentary on the Trigrams) states: "Qian is Heaven." "Li is Adherence." "Li represents Fire, the Sun." Heaven presides above all things, and Fire illuminates brilliantly. Fire in Heaven is like the Sun suspended at the zenith, universally casting its light over all regions, leaving no darkness unexposed, no distance unreached. When all things receive its illumination, they can each realize their life and achieve their form; this is why it is called "Da You."

The Shangshu (Book of Documents), Yao Dian (Canon of Yao), records the virtue of Emperor Yao: "His radiance spreads over the four boundaries, reaching Heaven above and Earth below" (光被四表，格于上下). This precisely mirrors the image of Da You. When the Sun and Moon shine upon the world, all things receive their benevolent grace, thus they can greatly possess the world.

Second, Heaven’s movement is vigorous, and Fire’s nature is to blaze upwards; the two share a common direction and complement each other.

The virtue of Qian is vigor (jian); its image is Heaven, whose movement is ceaseless, constantly striving for self-improvement. The virtue of Li is brightness (ming); its image is Fire, whose nature is to blaze upwards and radiate light. When Heaven moves vigorously and Fire blazes upwards, the two virtues merge, resulting in vigorous strength coupled with civilization—self-striving endowed with radiance. This explains the source of Da You's virtue.

Third, Li represents the Sun, and Qian represents Heaven; the Sun being in the Heavens is the image of high noon.

The Sun moves across the sky, rising from the East, passing the South, and setting in the West. During the day, at high noon, the Sun is precisely at the center of the sky, its light most brilliant and its illumination widest. The image of the Da You hexagram is exactly like the scene of the Sun at noon: all things are fully illuminated, resulting in great fullness and possession.

However, when the Sun reaches its zenith, it begins to decline; when the Moon is full, it wanes. This also implies a caution required for Great Possession. Thus, although Da You is a hexagram of flourishing, its image inherently contains a sense of apprehension, which will be discussed in detail later.

Fourth, Fire’s nature is to move upward and align with Heaven, symbolizing the ascent of virtue.

Fire’s nature is to blaze upward, not downward. This symbolizes that human virtue should ascend toward Heaven’s Dao. Qian is the Dao of Heaven, and Li is the virtue of civilization. To align the virtue of civilization upward with the Dao of Heaven—this is the true meaning of Da You.

The Shijing, Da Ya, "Wen Wang" (King Wen) ode states: "King Wen is in the high place, making clear his virtue to Heaven. Though Zhou was an old state, its mandate has been renewed" (文王在上，於昭于天。周虽旧邦，其命维新). The civilization of King Wen's virtue ascended to Heaven, perfectly matching the image of Fire over Heaven in Da You.

Section 3: Discerning the Meaning of "Da You"

The term "Da You" (Great Possession), as the name of a hexagram in the Zhou Yi, carries rich implications, leading to varied interpretations throughout history. We shall analyze it from several perspectives.

First, what does "Da" (Great) mean$8

The character "Da" has multiple usages in the Zhou Yi. It can refer to the scale of something, as in Da Chu (Great Accumulation) and Da Zhuang (Great Might); it can refer to the greatness of character, as in Da Guo (Great Excess); and it can refer to the magnitude of effect, as in Da You.

Regarding the Da You hexagram, "Da" possesses at least three layers of meaning:

One, greatness of scale. Da You means possessing things that are numerous and vast. Like a sovereign possessing the realm, or someone owning boundless wealth—this is greatness of scale.

Two, greatness of quality. Da You is not small possession or partial possession, but the possession of great virtue and great enterprise. The Xi Ci Zhuan states: "The utmost of great virtue and great enterprise! Possessing abundance is called great enterprise; renewing daily is called flourishing virtue" (盛德大业至矣哉！富有之谓大业，日新之谓盛德). Interpreting "great enterprise" as "possessing abundance" aligns perfectly with the meaning of Da You.

Three, greatness of state or realm. Da You is not the possession of a single object or event, but a state where the entirety possesses, where nothing is lacking. Heaven covers all things without omission; the Sun shines upon all directions without selfishness. This is the state of Da You.

Second, what does "You" (Possess/Have) mean$9

The character "You" also has rich meanings in Pre-Qin texts.

The Erya, Shigu states: "You means to take" (有，取也). Shuowen Jiezi states: "You means something that one ought not to have" (有，不宜有也). Duan Yucai’s commentary suggests the original meaning of "You" is "to hold/possess."

However, in the Da You hexagram of the Zhou Yi, how should "You" be interpreted$10

One, occupation or possession. This is the most direct meaning. Da You means possessing greatly, having abundant possessions.

Two, maintenance or preservation. After possessing something, the key is whether one can maintain it long-term. The deeper meaning of Da You is not just "gaining possession," but "preserving possession."

Three, abundance or richness. "You" is synonymous with "Fu" (Rich). Da You means great richness. However, this "richness" refers not only to material wealth but also to richness in virtue, talent, and achievement.

Four, existence or manifestation. All things exist, each having its proper place and fulfilling its nature. All things under heaven find their proper station—this is the ultimate meaning of Da You.

Third, viewing "Da You" together.

When the two characters are combined, the meaning is: to possess the widest possible enterprise through the utmost virtue; to govern the greatest multitude of things through the highest position. All under heaven turn their hearts to it, and all things flourish—the ultimate state of richness and abundance.

The Xuguazhuan (Commentary on the Hexagram Sequence) states: "Those who are in accord with others will surely attract things to them, therefore it is followed by Da You" (与人同者，物必归焉，故受之以大有). This explains the origin of Da You. Tong Ren (Harming with Others) precedes Da You. Tong Ren means sharing the same heart and virtue with others. When one can share heart and virtue with others, all things under heaven will naturally come to rely upon him, thus achieving Da You. The logic of this sequence is extremely precise.

Why is it that "those who are in accord with others will surely attract things to them"$11 Because what people share in their hearts corresponds to the principle of Heaven. Those who share hearts with others will gladly submit; those who share virtue with others will be moved to respond. It is like water flowing downwards or fire seeking dryness—a principle of nature. The Lunyu, Yan Yuan, records Confucius saying: "The virtue of the superior man is like the wind; the virtue of the petty man is like the grass. When the wind blows over the grass, it must bend" (君子之德风，小人之德草。草上之风，必偃). The influence of moral cultivation is of this nature.

Therefore, the naming of Da You encompasses both the meaning of "possessing greatness" (You Qi Da) and "making great one's possessions" (Da Qi You). "Possessing greatness" means the things possessed are immense; "making great one's possessions" means the manner of possession is great. It is not taken by force, but achieved by virtue; not possessed privately, but shared publicly; not held exclusively, but embraced broadly. This is why Da You is Da You.

Section 4: The Position of the Da You Hexagram within the Sixty-Four Hexagrams

The placement of Da You as the fourteenth hexagram is by no means accidental.

Starting from Qian and Kun, passing through Tun (Difficulty at the Beginning), Meng (Obscurity), Xu (Waiting), Song (Conflict), Shi (The Army), Bi (Biting Through/Clinging to), Xiao Chu (Small Accumulation), Lü (Treading), Tai (Peace), Pi (Stagnation), and Tong Ren (Kith and Kin), we arrive at Da You, encompassing fourteen hexagrams. This sequence of fourteen hexagrams constitutes a complete process of development.

Qian and Kun are the beginning of heaven and earth, the root of all things. Tun is the difficulty of nascent life. Meng is the confusion of the early stage of life. Xu is the nourishment required for growth. Song is the rising of human conflict. Shi is the use of military forces. Bi is the way of clinging or allegiance. Xiao Chu is the accumulation of the small and yielding. Lü is the ritual of treading or putting into practice. Tai is the flourishing attained when Heaven and Earth communicate. Pi is the blockage when Heaven and Earth fail to communicate. Tong Ren is the harmony achieved when all people share the same heart.

The progression from Tong Ren to Da You is a process from "Harmony" to "Possession." Once people's hearts are united, all forces converge, all things submit, leading to Da You. This signifies: first gain the hearts of the people, then gain the realm.

The words in the Xuguazhuan are very clear: "Those who are in accord with others will surely attract things to them, therefore it is followed by Da You" (与人同者，物必归焉，故受之以大有). Furthermore: "One who possesses greatly cannot be complacent, therefore it is followed by Qian (Humility)" (有大者不可以盈，故受之以谦). The sequence linking Da You to Qian deeply reflects principle.

Observing the entire Upper Canon, the Tai and Pi hexagrams deal with the openness and blockage between Heaven and Earth, concerning the ebb and flow of cosmic momentum. The Tong Ren and Da You hexagrams concern human affairs of harmony and possession, relating to the rise and fall of human governance. Tai and Pi speak of the opening and closing of the Heavenly Dao; Tong Ren and Da You speak of the gains and losses of the Human Dao. These two pairs complement each other, forming a crucial link in the Upper Canon.

From the perspective of trigram transformation, the Complementary Hexagram (Zong Gua) of Da You (by inverting it) is Tong Ren. Da You is Li above Qian below; inverted, it becomes Qian above Li below, which is Tong Ren. This shows that Da You and Tong Ren are the front and back of the same object. Tong Ren is the foundation of Da You, and Da You is the achievement of Tong Ren. To attain Da You, one must first achieve Tong Ren; having attained Da You, one must not forget the way of Tong Ren.

Section 5: The Intersecting and Counter Hexagrams of Da You

Analysis of the Intersecting Hexagram (Hu Gua):

The Hu Gua of Da You is formed by taking the second, third, and fourth lines as the lower trigram, and the third, fourth, and fifth lines as the upper trigram. The six lines of Da You are: Initial Nine, Nine Two, Nine Three, Nine Four, Six Five, Upper Nine. The second, third, and fourth lines are all Yang (Nine Two, Nine Three, Nine Four), forming the lower intersecting trigram Qian (☰). The third, fourth, and fifth lines (Nine Three, Nine Four, Six Five) form the upper intersecting trigram Dui (☱, Lake).

Therefore, the Hu Gua of Da You is Guai (䅾, Lake over Heaven, ☱☰—Correction: It should be Dui over Qian, which forms Guai). Guai means to break through, sternly breaking the yielding. The inclusion of the Guai image within Da You implies that Da You secretly contains the meaning of firm decisiveness. Although Da You is abundant, it must be maintained and protected by the virtue of firm resolution; otherwise, great possession easily breeds complacency and leads to loss.

Analysis of the Counter Hexagram (Cuo Gua):

The Cuo Gua of Da You (by inverting the Yin/Yang nature of each line) is obtained by changing Initial Nine to Six Initial, Nine Two to Six Two, etc., resulting in: Upper Kan (☵, Water) and Lower Kun (☷, Earth), which is the hexagram Bi (比, Clinging to/Assisting, ☵☷).

Bi means to cling closely or to assist. Da You’s Cuo Gua is Bi, which is highly meaningful. Da You signifies that all things submit to one and possess abundance; Bi signifies attaching closely to others and assisting those above. These two are merely the two sides of the same entity: to attain Da You, one must first be able to attach closely to others and make them cling to oneself; and after attaining Da You, one must maintain the virtue of close attachment and not become arrogant toward others because of their great possessions.

This accords precisely with what is said in the Shangshu, Da Yu Mo: "Fullness invites loss, humility receives benefit; this is the way of Heaven" (满招损，谦受益，时乃天道). The flourishing of Da You, if not guarded by the virtue of humble attachment, will ultimately invite harm and result in loss.