34. The Power of the Great

Judgment

大壮：利贞。

Perseverance furthers. In times of strength, legitimacy and measure matter most.

Image

雷在天上，大壮；君子以非礼弗履。

Thunder in heaven above: the image of the power of the great. The noble person does not tread upon paths that do not accord with established order.

Lines

1. Line 1, yang (nine)

   初九：壮于趾，征凶，有孚。

   Power in the toes. Continuing brings misfortune—this is certainly true. Pushing ahead before strength has matured.

2. Line 2, yang (nine)

   九二：贞吉。

   Perseverance brings good fortune. Strong and central, without abuse.

3. Line 3, yang (nine)

   九三：小人用壮，君子用罔，贞厉。羝羊触藩，羸其角。

   The inferior person works through power; the noble does not act thus. To continue is dangerous. A goat butts against a hedge and gets its horns entangled. Head-on force traps you.

4. Line 4, yang (nine)

   九四：贞吉悔亡，藩决不羸，壮于大舆之輹。

   Perseverance brings good fortune; remorse disappears. The hedge opens; there is no entanglement. Power depends upon the axle of a big cart. Put strength into structure, not into collisions.

5. Line 5, yin (six)

   六五：丧羊于易，无悔。

   Loses the goat with ease: no remorse. Drop the posture of force at the right time.

6. Line 6, yin (six)

   上六：羝羊触藩，不能退，不能遂，无攸利，艰则吉。

   A goat butts against a hedge; it cannot go backward, cannot go forward. Nothing serves to further. If one notes the difficulty, this brings good fortune. In a deadlock, acknowledging difficulty is the way out.

In the enterprise

The hexagram of strength, market dominance and the use of power: market-leader strategy, antitrust and compliance, strong negotiating positions, high-growth phases. Core: 'tread only paths in accord with order'—the strong are most at risk from abusing their strength.

Psychological lens

Resonates with research on power and cognition (power reduces perspective-taking, Galinsky et al.); line 3 describes aggressive impulses and escalation traps.

Related hexagrams

Situations in the library that use this hexagram

• Should we follow a price war? Enterprise, Line 3, yang (nine)
• Timing a capacity expansion Enterprise, Line 4, yang (nine)
• Deadlocked negotiations Enterprise, Line 6, yin (six)
• Overconfidence as an investor Individuals, Line 1, yang (nine)
• Overtraining Individuals, Line 3, yang (nine)

Situation readings are a reflective framework for discussion—not predictions and not a substitute for professional advice.