Hexagram for Great Taming

They form one specific sign in the I Ching. This Chinese classic is used for divination and philosophical reflection. Its 64 hexagrams are six-line patterns, each associated with a text. In a book or a recorded reading, ䷙ identifies the passage for 大畜, hexagram 26.

The pattern is counted from the bottom upward: three solid lines, two broken lines, then one solid line. Its lower half is Heaven (☰); its upper half is Mountain (☶). These three-line units are called trigrams. Mountain over Heaven expresses great strength held in check.

Why both “taming” and “accumulation”?

The names emphasize two sides of the same Chinese title. “Great Taming” stresses directing and restraining power; “Great Accumulation” stresses gathering and nurturing it. The traditional interpretation includes learning from the words and deeds of the past to develop character.

The advice is more active than simply waiting: build skill, exercise self-control, and prepare to act well. In divination, the question and any changing lines—lines designated to turn into their opposite—shape the detailed reading. The sign alone is not a promise of success or wealth.