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Hexagram 14: Da You (大有) — Possession in Great Measure
Hexagram 14, Da You (大有) — Possession in Great Measure, is the fourteenth figure of the Book of Changes, composed of Fire over Heaven; the ancients read it as abundance in full view.
Meaning
Da You is the hexagram of abundance. Fire hangs high in the sky above heaven and lights everything below it, and the old readers saw the sun at its height — wealth, honour, and influence all gathered and visible. The judgment is a single phrase, supreme success, which the text treats not as a reward but as a responsibility. Great possession, in the classical view, is great exposure. The name means literally “great having” — abundance not merely owned but clearly possessed and displayed.
Read against the working life, the figure is about prosperity honestly come by. The third line is pointed: a prince offers to the Son of Heaven, and a petty man cannot do this — only a person of character can hold great resources without being ruined by them. Wealth and power test the one who holds them, and abundance is safe only in the hands of someone who stays modest and generous.
For a person who is well provided for, the hexagram describes the gift of plenty — and the care it demands. The fifth line, 'he whose truth is accessible, yet dignified,' was the commentators' portrait of a person who has much but remains approachable. Abundance can isolate, and the whole art of possession is to keep the heart open while the fortune grows.
Within a cycle, Da You marks a phase of fullness. It is the season of the harvest, the moment when effort has produced more than enough. The image of fire in heaven is the book's picture of the sun at noon — brilliant, but a signal that the day has passed its midpoint. The counsel is to enjoy the plenty while it lasts and to share it, since no fullness endures forever.
The Judgment
“Possession in Great Measure. Supreme success.”
The Six Lines of Possession in Great Measure
Line 1No relationship with what is harmful; there is no blame in this.
Line 2A big wagon for loading. One may undertake something. No blame.
Line 3A prince offers it to the Son of Heaven. A petty man cannot do this.
Line 4He makes a difference between himself and his neighbor. No blame.
Line 5He whose truth is accessible, yet dignified, has good fortune.
Line 6He is blessed by heaven. Good fortune. Nothing that does not further.
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Frequently Asked Questions
What are the two trigrams of Hexagram 14?
Da You (大有) places the Fire trigram (Li, 离) above the Heaven trigram (Qian, 乾). Fire shining above the sky was the ancients' image of the sun at its height, casting light on everything below — great possession made visible.
Why is the judgment of Hexagram 14 only two words?
The judgment reads simply: 'Possession in Great Measure. Supreme success.' The old commentaries note that when abundance is genuine it needs no lengthy explanation — the brevity itself is the point, a statement of fullness so complete that nothing needs to be added.
What did the ancients read in the line about the petty man?
The third line, 'A prince offers it to the Son of Heaven. A petty man cannot do this,' was read as a teaching about character. Great possessions can be offered up and shared only by a person of real substance; a small-minded person cannot let them go, and is ruined by holding on.
Related
Source: Judgment and line texts follow the Wilhelm/Baynes rendering of the Yijing.
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