Section 2: The Virtue of King Wen and the Dao of Da You

King Wen of Zhou (Ji Chang) is one of the most important Sage Kings in Pre-Qin history, and his virtue and achievements particularly match the image of the Da You hexagram.

I. King Wen’s "Yielding Obtaining the Position of Honor."

King Wen was the Western Earl under the Shang Dynasty, tasked with guarding the feudal lords of the West. King Wen’s nature was gentle and humble. The Shijing, Da Ya, "Da Ming," states: "In this King Wen, cautious and careful in all things. Diligently serving the High God, he accumulated much fortune" (维此文王，小心翼翼。昭事上帝，聿怀多福).

The four characters "cautious and careful in all things" (xiaoxin yiyi) perfectly capture King Wen’s virtue of yielding caution. Occupying the position of Western Earl with utmost yielding and cautious virtue, he governed the western lords—this is the image of "yielding obtaining the position of honor."

Furthermore, the Lunyu, Tai Bo, records Confucius saying: "He possessed two-thirds of the realm and used it to serve Yin. The virtue of Zhou, it can be called the ultimate virtue!" (三分天下有其二，以服事殷。周之德，其可谓至德已矣). King Wen held two-thirds of the realm but still served the Shang Dynasty with the way of yieldingness, not relying on force for self-assertion. This is the ultimate expression of the yielding way.

II. King Wen’s "Great Center."

King Wen’s governance adhered to the Middle Way. The Shijing, Da Ya, "Huang Yi," states: "He did not raise his voice or alter his expression, nor did he prolong the summer with violent measures" (不大声以色，不长夏以革). King Wen did not intimidate people with loud voice or stern looks, nor did he use violence to change them, cultivating the masses with the Way of moderation.

Also, the Shangshu, Wu Yi, records the Duke of Zhou’s words: "King Wen was humbly dressed, attending to the affairs of the palace and the fields. Gentle, mild, and respectful, he cherished and protected the small folk, helping the widowed and orphaned. From dawn till dusk he hardly found time to eat, thus harmonizing all the people. King Wen dared not indulge in leisure hunting, focusing instead on providing justly for his numerous states" (文王卑服，即康功田功。徽柔懿恭，怀保小民，惠鲜鳏寡。自朝至于日中昃，不遑暇食，用咸和万民。文王不敢盘于游田，以庶邦惟正之供). King Wen diligently served the people, from dawn till dusk without rest. This is not the inactivity of the Center, but the Center of diligence—diligent but not excessive, striving but not forced—this is the ultimate of the Middle Way.

III. King Wen’s "Sincerity Mutually Felt, Dignity Imposing."

King Wen connected with the realm through the virtue of sincerity. The Shijing, Da Ya, "Wen Wang," states: "Majestic, majestic King Wen, how diligently he reverently dwells in virtue" (穆穆文王，於缉熙敬止). Mu Mu describes a demeanor of harmony and reverence. King Wen treated all under heaven with harmony and reverence, so the realm was moved by his sincerity and submitted to him.

Moreover, the Zuo Zhuan, Xi Gong 24, records Fu Chen’s words: "In the past, the Duke of Zhou settled the discord between the two younger brothers of King Wu, so he enfeoffed his relatives to expand the perimeter of Zhou" (昔周公吊二叔之不咸，故封建亲戚以蕃屏周). The enfeoffment by the Duke of Zhou was rooted in the benevolent grace of King Wen. King Wen connected with the feudal lords through sincerity, and the lords submitted because they were moved by his virtue—this is the image of "sincerity mutually felt."

Although King Wen was gentle and humble, he possessed inherent dignity. The Shijing, Da Ya, "Huang Yi," states: "The High God said to King Wen: Do not lean aside, do not yearn excessively, but be the first to reach the shore" (帝谓文王：无然畔援，无然歆羡，诞先登于岸). King Wen did not rely on strong force but moved the world with virtue. This is the ultimate state of "imposing dignity"—dignity without anger, credibility without speech.

IV. King Wen’s "Assisted by Heaven, Auspicious and Without Anything Unfavorable."

The Shijing, Da Ya, "Wen Wang," 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. If Zhou did not shine brightly, the mandate of the High God would not arrive in time. King Wen ascended and descended, by the side of the High God" (文王在上，於昭于天。周虽旧邦，其命维新。有周不显，帝命不时。文王陟降，在帝左右). This poem states that King Wen’s virtue ascended to Heaven, and the Heavenly Mandate was renewed, arriving timely due to the High God. King Wen ascending and descending by the side of the High God is akin to saying the High God constantly assisted King Wen. This is the clear proof of "assisted by Heaven, auspicious and without anything unfavorable."

The Shijing, Da Ya, "Da Ming," also states: "In this King Wen, cautious and careful in all things. Diligently serving the High God, he accumulated much fortune. His virtue was not crooked, so he received the peripheral states" (维此文王，小心翼翼。昭事上帝，聿怀多福。厥德不回，以受方国). Because King Wen diligently served the High God, he received much fortune. His virtue was not crooked, so he received the states in the four directions. This is the effect of Heaven's assistance.

V. King Wen’s Special Relationship with the Da You Hexagram.

Tradition holds that King Wen was responsible for affixing the hexagram statements to the sixty-four hexagrams. If this is true, when King Wen affixed the statement "Yuan Heng" to Da You, he might have infused it with his own experience and realization. King Wen, imprisoned at Youli, composed the Zhou Yi, harboring the aspiration of Great Possession for the entire realm despite being a captive—what a lofty spiritual state!

When King Wen was at Youli, though in distress (aligning with the image of the Kun hexagram, Distress), his heart maintained the aspiration of Da You. Not losing his aspiration in distress, not forgetting the Dao while in lowliness—this is why King Wen was able to finally achieve Da You.