大過

28. Great excess

dàguò · Wind ☴ over Lake ☱

A situation beyond the ordinary measure, calling for extraordinary effort.

The Noble One's Path

A lake flooding over a tree. In a moment like this the Noble One is able to stand alone, without fear, and to withdraw from the world without regret, if that's what's needed.

The Lesson

Don't be afraid of unusual steps when the situation calls for them. Stay calm in moments of great tension.

A question to sit with

What out-of-the-ordinary action do I need to take now to save what matters to me?

Related hexagrams

In the I Ching no hexagram stands alone. Each one enters into relationships with others, and those relationships show the situation seen from the other side, in its opposite, and in its hidden tendency.

易

The classical deep dive for this hexagram — the Judgment and the Image after Richard Wilhelm — along with the texts of all six changing lines, is in the book. Get the book

卦

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