This explains why the hexagram is Possession in Great Measure. The Fifth line, as a yin dwelling in the sovereign's place, represents the yielding attaining the honored position. Dwelling in the center, it attains the way of great balance.
Being revered by all yang lines, above and below respond to it.
Indeed, dwelling in honor and holding to yielding is inherently that to which the multitude turns; moreover, possessing the virtues of an open center, radiant civilization, and great balance, above and below share the same purpose and respond to it.
This is why it is Possession in Great Measure. The virtue of the hexagram is firm and strong within, civilized and bright without. The ruler at Six in the Fifth Place responds to Nine in the Second Place of Qian.
The nature of the Fifth is yielding, compliant, and clear; it can compliantly respond to the Second, which is the lord of Qian. This is responding to Qian. Responding compliantly to Qian's movement means according with Heaven's timing.
Hence it is said: 'Responding to Heaven and acting in accord with the seasons.' Its virtue being such, it attains 'supreme success.' Wang Bi says: 'Without great pervasive openness, how could one attain Possession in Great Measure?
If there is Possession in Great Measure, there must be supreme success.' This fails to understand the hexagram's meaning.
The combination of Li and Qian creates the meaning of Possession in Great Measure, but the meaning of Possession in Great Measure does not of itself imply supreme success; it is because of its inherent capacity that it achieves supreme success.
There are instances of Possession in Great Measure that are not good, and those that cannot achieve success.
Where hexagrams possess all four virtues—yuan, heng, li, zhen—the Tuan commentary regularly glosses them as 'great success,' fearing people might conflate them with Qian and Kun.
When not accompanied by li and zhen, it is explained as 'supreme success' to bring out the full meaning of yuan. Yuan carries the sense of great goodness.
Four hexagrams have yuan heng: Da You, Gu, Sheng, and Ding; only in Sheng's Tuan commentary was it mistakenly copied from other hexagrams as 'great success.' One might ask: 'Why does yuan in other hexagrams differ from that in Qian?'
The answer is: In Qian, yuan bears the sense of the primordial beginning and of rising supreme above all creatures; other hexagrams cannot possess this meaning—for them it signifies merely goodness and greatness.
One might ask: 'It is acceptable for yuan to mean great, but why does it mean good?' The answer is: Yuan is the origin of things; in the origin of things, how could there be anything not good?
An undertaking achieves success and only afterwards suffers failure; failure never precedes completion. Flourishing is followed by decline; decline surely comes after flourishing. Gain is followed by loss; without gain, how could there be loss?
In matters of good and evil, order and chaos, right and wrong, all affairs under heaven follow this truth: the good must come first. Therefore the Wenyan Commentary says: 'Yuan is the chief of goodness.'