Section 6: Divination Examples in Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu Involving Da You

The Zuo Zhuan and Guoyu record many divination instances, though not all directly involve the Da You hexagram. However, the divination thoughts and methods reflected therein provide important reference points for understanding Da You.

I. The Divination Example in Zuo Zhuan, Xi Gong 25—"Guai of Da You."

This passage is a precious record of the direct application of the Da You hexagram in Pre-Qin divination.

The text states: "The Duke of Qin was drilling his army by the river, about to escort the King back to the capital. Hu Yan said to the Duke of Jin: 'Seeking the allegiance of the feudal lords, nothing is as effective as diligently serving the King. If the lords trust him, it will also be a great righteousness. Following the achievements of Wen Duke Wen of Jin, manifesting trust among the lords, this is the time!' He sent the diviner Yan to divine, who said: 'Auspicious. It portends the sign of the Yellow Emperor battling at Banquan.' He performed the stalks, and obtained the Guai of Da You. He said: 'Auspicious. It is the hexagram of the noble lord feasting with the Son of Heaven. After a successful battle, the King grants a feast—what could be more auspicious$2 Moreover, this hexagram means Heaven transforms into a lake to face the Sun; the Son of Heaven lowers his heart to welcome the Duke. Is this not acceptable$3'" (秦伯师于河上，将纳王。狐偃言于晋侯曰：“求诸侯，莫如勤王。诸侯信之，且大义也。继文之业而信宣于诸侯，今其可矣。”使卜偃卜之，曰：“吉。遇黄帝战于阪泉之兆。”筮之，遇大有之睽。曰：“吉。遇公用享于天子之卦也。战克而王飨，吉孰大焉？且是卦也，天为泽以当日，天子降心以逆公，不亦可乎？”)

This record is crucial. Duke Wen of Jin wished to serve the King (restore King Xiang of Zhou) and first performed divination. He obtained the Guai of Da You—meaning the Da You hexagram transformed into the Guai hexagram.

What is the "Guai of Da You"$4 This means one line of Da You changed to produce the Guai hexagram. Da You is Li above Qian below. Guai is Li above Dui below. Transforming Da You into Guai requires the lower trigram Qian to change into Dui, meaning one of the three lines in the lower trigram changed from Yang to Yin. Specifically, if Nine Three changes to Six Three, the lower trigram changes from Qian to Dui, while the upper trigram Li remains unchanged, resulting in Li above Dui below, the Guai hexagram.

Thus, the "Guai of Da You" signifies the transformation of Nine Three. The statement for Nine Three is precisely "The noble lord feasts with the Son of Heaven." The diviner Yan interpreted: "It is the hexagram where the noble lord feasts with the Son of Heaven. After a successful battle, the King grants a feast—what greater auspiciousness is there$5" (遇公用享于天子之卦也。战克而王飨，吉孰大焉？). This directly uses the Nine Three line statement of Da You for prognostication. The feudal lord (the "Gong") will make a presentation to the Son of Heaven (feasting), which is exactly what happened.

The diviner also said: "Moreover, in this hexagram, Heaven transforms into a lake to face the Sun" (且是卦也，天为泽以当日). This interprets the hexagram image: the transformation from Da You to Guai involves the lower trigram changing from Qian (Heaven) to Dui (Lake), while the upper trigram remains Li (Sun). "Heaven transforms into a lake to face the Sun"—symbolizing that the Son of Heaven (Heaven) lowers his disposition like water in a lake to face the brilliance of the Duke of Jin (Sun). "Is it not acceptable for the Son of Heaven to lower his heart to welcome the Duke$6" (天子降心以逆公，不亦可乎？). Is this not a good thing$7

This divination perfectly illustrates the practical application of the Da You hexagram in Pre-Qin divination. The diviner used the statement of the changing line as the primary basis for judgment, supplemented by the image of the resulting hexagram, combining them to conclude "auspicious."

The outcome$8 Duke Wen of Jin successfully escorted King Xiang of Zhou back to the capital and was rewarded by the King with land. Subsequently, Duke Wen defeated Chu at Chengpu and held an audience with the Son of Heaven at Jian Tu, leading the realm to rally to him. This completely verified the divination of "the noble lord feasts with the Son of Heaven."

This example provides immense insight into the principles of the Da You hexagram. The "feasting with the Son of Heaven" of Nine Three found a concrete and vivid historical interpretation in this divination: the feudal lord, through his merit in serving the King, is received by the Son of Heaven—this is the best practice of the Nine Three line statement.

II. The Status of the Da You Hexagram in the Divination System.

From the above example, it is clear that in Pre-Qin divination, the Da You hexagram was regarded as extremely auspicious, second only to Qian and Kun. The phrase "After a successful battle, the King grants a feast—what greater auspiciousness is there$9" shows the high evaluation given to Da You by the diviner Yan.

However, the auspiciousness of Da You is not unconditional. For example, Initial Nine requires "if strenuous, no blame"; Nine Four requires "not puffed up." These indicate that "no blame" is obtained only if preconditions are met. If one fails to be "strenuous" or "not puffed up," "no blame" will turn into blame. This shows that the auspiciousness of Da You varies according to the line position and the time, and cannot be generalized across the board.

III. Related Records in Guoyu.

The Guoyu, Jin Yu IV, records some divination events during Chong'er’s (Duke Wen of Jin) exile. Although not directly involving Da You, the underlying principles of Yi thought referenced can serve as a reference point.

The Guoyu, Jin Yu IV, records: "The Young Lord performed divination himself, saying: 'There is still the state of Jin.' He obtained the divination for Zhen (Stagnation) and Yu (Joy/Excitement), both resulting in eight changes. The diviner judged them all, saying: 'Inauspicious. Closed and blocked; the lines have no action.'" (公子亲筮之，曰：“尚有晋国。”得贞屯悔豫，皆八也。筮史占之，皆曰：“不吉。闭而不通，爻无为也。”)

Although this example does not involve Da You, the method of judgment—relying on the changing lines—is the same as in the Da You Guai example. The fundamental principle of Pre-Qin divination: use the encountered hexagram as the basis, use the statement of the changing line as the primary judgment, and use the resulting hexagram as a reference. This principle applied to all sixty-four hexagrams, including Da You.