Structural Analysis, Meaning, and Philosophical Inquiry of the Hexagram Huotian Dayou (Fire Over Heaven)
This article systematically investigates the fourteenth hexagram of the *I Ching*, *Huotian Dayou*, analyzing its structure (Li over Qian), delineating the rich connotations of 'Great Possession,' and interpreting its principle of 'One Softness in Supremacy Responded to by Five Yangs' through the lens of Pre-Qin texts, thereby revealing its profound significance in ancient political philosophy.
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.