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Hexagram 47 — Da You, Possession in Great Measure
Chronological no. 47 (binary-weight order) · King Wen no. (traditional) 14 · 大有
By Anibal Edelberto Amiot — Updated October 1, 2026
the middle daughter
the father
Fire at the summit of Heaven: the image of great possession. Light, carried to the very highest point, illuminates everything without exception — nothing remains in shadow beneath such a blaze. This is the figure of visible abundance, one that shines so brightly it compels responsibility. Thus the noble one curbs evil and exalts good, obeying the favor of Heaven: to possess much is never neutral, it obliges one to discern what to nourish and what to cut away.
Accumulated wealth is measured by its capacity to weather the shock. It is not the quantity possessed that counts, but the solidity of what has been built: true possession withstands trial, while ill-founded abundance collapses at the first blow. This line invites us never to mistake accumulation for true wealth, which proves itself only over time.
The six lines
At the base of the earth, fullness stirs: the yang onset that carried the whole figure now yields its place.
The steadied earth reaches its limit: the solidity that upheld the structure is about to change its nature.
At the threshold between earth and man, force wavers: what acted through firmness hesitates before turning.
In the action of man, fullness meets its limit: the initiative that led the figure folds back upon itself.
At the sage's seat, emptiness fills: the suppleness that governed with discretion gathers a new force.
At the summit, fullness completes its course and breaks: what had culminated cannot go further without turning back.
Source: La Livrée d'Hermès, Anibal Amiot — chapter 7.1 (pp. 63–68). French version of this page.
For the notions used here — magic square, layer and casting, the Yi Jing — see the project lexicon.
The patterns of this hexagram
This hexagram is the binary complement of hexagram 16 — Bi, Holding Together (63 − 47 = 16): its patterns have exactly the same shape, only their colours are permuted. Here are the eight patterns of hexagram 16, one for each admissible family.
Bases — YANG mutant
Bases — YANG
Pair of two — YANG + YIN mutant
Pair of two — YIN mutant + YANG mutant
Pair of two — YIN + YANG
Pair of two — YIN + YANG mutant
Triple — without YANG
Triple — without YANG mutant
Neighbouring hexagrams
46 — Ding, The Cauldron · 48 — Guan, Contemplation
Hexagrams sharing a trigram
Same upper trigram (☲ Li): 40 — Jin, Progress · 41 — Shi He, Biting Through · 42 — Wei Ji, Before Completion · 43 — Kui, Opposition · 44 — Lu, The Wanderer · 45 — Li, That Which Clings, Fire · 46 — Ding, The Cauldron
Same lower trigram (☰ Qian): 7 — Tai, Peace · 15 — Da Zhuang, The Power of the Great · 23 — Xu, Waiting · 31 — Guai, Breakthrough · 39 — Da Chu, The Taming Power of the Great · 55 — Xiao Chu, The Taming Power of the Small · 63 — Qian, The Creative
