Hexagram of the Day Saturday, February 21, 2026: #26 The Taming Power of the Great (大畜)

Each calendar day maps deterministically to one hexagram — the day's position in a continuous 64-day rotation through the King Wen sequence. No casting, no randomness.

Modern reading

Hexagram 26 portrays heaven held within the mountain, embodying immense inner potential harnessed through deliberate stillness and moral discipline. It signifies that cultivating profound substance allows one to cross great rivers and step onto larger stages with confidence.

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I Ching / BaZi reading request (from eastalmanac.com).
Page: Daily hexagram 2026-02-21: #26 The Taming Power of the Great.
Interpret through classical principles in two layers: 1) Structural Evidence: identify key line dynamics, changing line pivot, or element balance. 2) Actionable Verdict: direct answer to the inquiry in plain language, followed by 2–3 concrete next steps (action-verb first) and mindful cautions. Grounded wisdom for self-reflection. Source page:
https://eastalmanac.com/daily-hexagram/2026-02-21/

BaZi chart

The energetic dynamic reflects Earth and Metal in mutually supportive alignment, where solid structural capacity nurtures enduring authority and creative output.

Classical chart analysis associates this pattern with late bloomers whose authority ripens through steady, unhurried discipline rather than volatile early triumphs.

By refining inner integrity and enduring formative training, the individual prepares to step into significant public utility. One plain sentence: lasting success arrives through patient self-cultivation that ripens steadily over time.

Western astrology chart

This celestial signature emphasizes Saturnian structure holding and refining solar and Jovian expansiveness, indicating that professional authority must be built upon rigorous foundations.

Once transiting configurations activate these stable aspects, years of disciplined preparation translate into undeniable real-world credibility. The architectural focus remains on enduring competence rather than fleeting public recognition.

One plain sentence: long-term mastery provides the bedrock required to handle great opportunities when they finally appear.

I Ching casting

Hexagram 26 features Gen (Mountain) resting above Qian (Heaven), representing the deliberate containment of immense creative energy to generate profound maturity.

The judgment text highlights that preserving firm correctness allows one to eat beyond the family home and safely cross great rivers, pointing toward public service and large-scale enterprises.

The Tuan tradition praises this dynamic as renewing one's virtue daily through grounded strength and radiant inner substance. One plain sentence: channel your greatest strengths into disciplined reserves so you can navigate hazardous undertakings with ease.

Career

Professional trajectories transition from silent groundwork into substantial leadership, where accumulated expertise equips you to manage high-stakes responsibilities.

Stepping outside familiar organizational boundaries to accept cross-functional or institutional mandates attracts the notice of influential mentors. Demonstrating systemic vision and composure under pressure validates your readiness for executive-level oversight.

One plain sentence: your accumulated knowledge qualifies you to take on wider public responsibilities and expand beyond comfortable boundaries.

Wealth

The financial pattern favors long-horizon capital accumulation anchored in resilient fundamentals rather than short-term speculative trading.

Wealth expands steadily when invested in durable assets, institutional platforms, or enterprise capabilities that possess strong competitive moats.

Maintaining disciplined liquidity management ensures you can navigate broader market cycles without compromising structural security. One plain sentence: build enduring prosperity through patient, research-backed allocations rather than chasing rapid windfalls.

Love & relationships

Romantic partnerships flourish upon a foundation of shared character, mutual respect, and long-term domestic commitments. Couples operate not merely as companions, but as dedicated allies capable of weathering external challenges while building meaningful family stability.

Mutual emotional maturity allows both individuals to support each other's ambitions without insecurity or friction. One plain sentence: enduring affection grows stronger when built upon shared responsibility and emotional steadiness.

Health

Physical vitality is fundamentally robust and sustained by deep constitutional reserves, though prolonged mental strain can lead to latent fatigue.

Because the upper mountain trigram governs restraint, balancing rigorous physical or professional outputs with mandatory restorative periods is crucial. Paying proactive attention to spinal alignment and digestive equilibrium preserves systemic wellness over decades.

One plain sentence: protect your strong physical foundation by intentionally scheduling deep rest alongside hard work.

Personal growth

Personal maturity deepens through the classical practice of studying historical precedents and ancestral conduct to broaden moral discernment. In an era dominated by superficial distractions, committing to deep study and character refinement creates an unshakeable inner compass.

True distinction emerges from quiet mastery cultivated long before external recognition arrives. One plain sentence: enrich your inner life by learning from time-tested wisdom and practicing steady self-restraint.

Compatibility

Relational compatibility thrives among partners and associates who share elevated ethical standards, emotional maturity, and long-range horizons.

Collaborative endeavors succeed because neither party gets bogged down by petty grievances, focusing instead on shared enterprise goals. Surrounding oneself with principled collaborators ensures mutual accountability and lasting synergy.

One plain sentence: ally yourself with steady, broad-minded peers who value enduring integrity over immediate self-interest.

Fortune periods

The overarching macro cycle enters a transformative phase where prolonged groundwork finally yields exponential professional and personal returns. External environments become increasingly receptive, granting direct access to high-level networks and consequential platforms.

Navigating this upward transition requires maintaining humbleness while decisively executing strategic milestones. One plain sentence: this is a major harvest period where earlier preparations allow you to step confidently onto a larger stage.

Annual reading

The annual cycle favors outward expansion, broad collaboration, and assuming visible leadership roles that stretch your existing capabilities.

Remaining cloistered in domestic routines underutilizes the favorable celestial momentum available for career advancement or long-distance initiatives. Grounding bold endeavors in meticulous preparation ensures steady triumph over complex obstacles.

One plain sentence: step boldly out of your safe zone this year, as your proven competence will carry you across unfamiliar terrain.

Name analysis

Onomastic design draws upon the grounded weight of Mountain harmonized with the expansive clarity of Heaven, cultivating gravitas and far-reaching vision.

Linguistic glyphs that evoke resilience, virtue, and comprehensive knowledge counterbalance tendencies toward youthful impatience. The resulting energetic imprint fosters steady advancement toward late-career eminence.

One plain sentence: choose names that convey steadfast moral weight, vigor, and inward restraint to anchor long-term success.

Date selection

Auspicious timing selects calendar configurations marked by dense Earth and Metal elements, favorable for enterprise inaugurations, commercial agreements, and long journeys.

Choosing moments characterized by energetic stability imparts durable endurance to any venture, preventing premature exhaustion. Aligning foundational milestones with steady cosmic periods ensures sustained operational momentum.

One plain sentence: schedule pivotal undertakings during grounded, balanced hours to secure lasting resilience from the very start.

Feng Shui

Spatial arrangements prioritize firm structural backing paired with expansive, open sightlines to replicate heaven held within the mountain.

The rear sector of the property should feature solid architectural massing or elevated terrain to collect protective qi, while the frontal hall remains unobstructed to invite opportunity.

Decorating with substantial, timeless furnishings enhances organizational equilibrium throughout the core living spaces. Stabilizing the central palace and the northwest (Qian) sector helps consolidate expansive family fortune.

One plain sentence: anchor your living space with solid backing behind and an open, dignified view in front to gather enduring stability.

References

Original text

Judgment

Under the conditions of Tâ Khû it will be advantageous to be firm and correct. (If its subject do not seek to) enjoy his revenues in his own family (without taking service at court), there will be good fortune. It will be advantageous for him to cross the great stream.

Tuan commentary

In (the trigrams composing) Tâ Khû we have (the attributes) of the greatest strength and of substantial solidity, which emit a brilliant light; and indicate a daily renewal of his virtue (by the subject of it).

The strong line is in the highest place, and suggests the value set on talents and virtue; there is power (in the upper trigram) to keep the strongest in restraint:—all this shows ‘the great correctness’ (required in the hexagram).

‘The good fortune attached to the subject’s not seeking to enjoy his revenues in his own family’ shows how talents and virtue are nourished.

‘It will be advantageous to cross the great stream:’—(the fifth line, representing the ruler,) is responded to by (the second, the central line of Khien, representing) Heaven.

Great Image

(The trigram representing) a mountain, and in the midst of it that (representing) heaven, form Tâ Khû. The superior man, in accordance with this, stores largely in his memory the words and deeds of former men, to subserve the accumulation of his virtue.

Classical commentary

Zhouyi BenyiJudgment

畜 (xù) is read with the fanqie of 勅 and 六. 'Great' refers to the yang. With Gen restraining Qian, it is the restraining of what is great.

Furthermore, with Qian firm and strong within, and Gen solid and radiant without, it can daily renew its virtue and become the greatness of accumulation. In terms of hexagram change, this hexagram comes from Hexagram 5 (Waiting): the nine moves from the fifth place to the top.

In terms of hexagram structure, Six in the Fifth Place is honored and esteems it; in terms of hexagram virtue, it is moreover able to stop strength—none of which could be done without great correctness.

Therefore its divination is: furthering through correctness, and not eating at home brings good fortune. Moreover, Six in the Fifth Place corresponds below to Qian, which is responding to Heaven; hence its divination is also: furthering to cross the great river.

'Not eating at home' means receiving an official salary at court and not eating at home.

Zhouyi BenyiTuan commentary

Explaining the meaning of the hexagram name through hexagram virtue. Explaining the hexagram statement through hexagram change, hexagram structure, and hexagram virtue. Also taking the image of honoring the worthy. Also speaking in terms of hexagram structure.

Zhouyi BenyiGreat Image

識 is read as usual [shí], or pronounced zhì [to record].行 (xìng) is read with the fanqie of 下 and 孟 [meaning conduct]. 'Heaven within the mountain' does not imply that such an actual physical event must exist; it is spoken of purely in terms of its image.

Yichuan YizhuanJudgment

In the Sequence of the Hexagrams for The Taming Power of the Great (Hexagram 26): When there is innocence, only then can things be accumulated; hence it is received by The Taming Power of the Great.

When there is innocence, there is substance, and so things can be gathered and stored; this is why The Taming Power of the Great follows Innocence.

As a hexagram, it has Gen above and Qian below: Heaven situated within the mountain is the image of what is accumulated being supremely great. 'Xu' (畜) means to restrain/hold back, and also means to gather/accumulate; holding back leads to accumulation.

Taking the image of Heaven within the mountain represents storing up; taking Gen restraining Qian represents holding back. Only after being stopped is there accumulation, so stopping constitutes the meaning of xu.

Nothing is greater than Heaven, yet it is contained within the mountain; Gen rests above and stops Qian below—both are images of storing up the supremely great.

In human beings, when learning, scholarship, and moral virtue are filled and accumulated within, that is the greatness of what is stored. All accumulation mentioned here refers specifically to what is great.

In human accumulation, one must attain the correct Dao, hence it is said 'furthering through correctness.' As for heterodox doctrines and biased studies, there are indeed those who amass a great deal yet are incorrect.

Once moral virtue is abundantly stored within, one should occupy a high position to enjoy heavenly salary and carry out actions for all under Heaven; then it is not merely the good fortune of one person, but the good fortune of all under Heaven.

If one remains in poverty and eats at home, the Dao is blocked; therefore, 'not eating at home brings good fortune.'

What is accumulated being great, one should apply it to the times and relieve the perils and hardships of the realm, which is the application of Great Accumulation; hence 'furthering to cross the great river.'

This is spoken solely from the meaning of Great Accumulation; the Tuan commentary further elaborates using the talent and virtue of the hexagram, while the individual lines solely convey the meaning of stopping and restraining.

For the Yijing embodies the Dao according to what is fitting, adopting whatever is clear and accessible.

Yichuan YizhuanTuan commentary

This is spoken in terms of the hexagram's talent and virtue. The Qian trigram is firm and strong, while the Gen trigram is solid and substantial.

When a person's talent is firm, strong, solid, and substantial, what he accumulates can be great; being full and substantial, it radiates brilliance, and if accumulated without ceasing, his virtue will daily renew itself. 'Firmness ascends': yang dwells at the top.

Firm yang dwelling above the honored position signifies honoring the worthy. Keeping still dwelling above the strong signifies the ability to restrain strength. Stopping strength—how could anyone do so unless they possessed great correctness?

Having firm yang at the top, honoring the worthy and virtuous, and being able to stop supreme strength are all ways of great correctness. 'Furthering to cross the great river: it responds to Heaven.'

A person of Great Accumulation ought to apply what he has accumulated to succor the realm; therefore 'not eating at home brings good fortune' means occupying a heavenly position and enjoying heavenly salary.

The state nurtures the worthy, and the worthy are able to practice their Dao. 'Furthering to cross the great river' means that one with great accumulation ought to relieve the perils and hardships of all under Heaven.

The Tuan commentary further elucidates the hexagram's talent, stating that the reason it can cross the great river is because it responds to Heaven.

Six in the Fifth Place is the ruler, corresponding below to the central line of Qian; this is the ruler of Great Accumulation acting in response to Qian. When one's actions can respond to Heaven, there is no peril or hardship that cannot be overcome, let alone anything else!

Yichuan YizhuanGreat Image

Heaven is supremely great yet rests within the mountain, an image of accumulation that is supremely great. The noble person contemplates this image to enlarge what he stores up.

A person's accumulation becomes great through learning, which lies in hearing much of the words and deeds of former sages and worthies, examining their traces to observe their application, scrutinizing their words to seek their intent, and committing them to memory to cultivate and complete one's virtue—this is the meaning of The Taming Power of the Great.

Zhouyi ZhuTuan commentary

Whenever things withdraw after being sated, it is due to weakness; whenever they wither after blossoming, it is due to shallowness. That which can 'radiate brilliance and daily renew its virtue' is solely 'firm, strong, solid, and substantial.' This refers to Nine at the Top.

Dwelling above and achieving great permeability, when firmness arrives it does not resist it; this is what is meant by 'honoring the worthy.' Nothing is stronger than Qian, yet it is able to restrain it; without 'great correctness,' none could achieve this.

Possessing the substance of great accumulation, using it to nurture the worthy and enabling the worthy not to eat at home brings good fortune. 'Honoring the worthy' restrains strength; 'great correctness' responds to Heaven.

Free from worry over perils and difficulties, hence 'it furthers one to cross the great river.'

Zhouyi ZhuGreat Image

Among things that can be stored in the bosom to keep virtue from dissipating, it is exhausted in this.

Zhouyi ZhengyiJudgment

Zhengyi says: That it is called 'The Taming Power of the Great' (Daxu) is because Qian's strength advances upward, while Gen's stillness rests above, holding it back and restraining it; being able to restrain firm strength, it is called 'The Taming Power of the Great.'

The Tuan says: 'Able to stop strength, great correctness.' Because it can stop strength, it is The Taming Power of the Great.

In The Taming Power of the Small (Xiaoxu), Xun is above Qian, and because of Xun's compliance, it cannot restrain Qian's firmness, hence it is called Xiaoxu. Here, Gen can stop it, hence it is Daxu.

'Furthering through correctness': when one can stop strength, it is impossible without correctness, hence 'furthering through correctness.'

'Not eating at home brings good fortune': when one possesses the resources of great accumulation, one must nurture and accommodate worthy men, not leaving them to eat at home by themselves; only thus is it auspicious.

'Furthering to cross the great river': having abundance, one nurtures the worthy, responding to the Way of Heaven without worrying over perils and hardships; hence 'it furthers one to cross the great river.'

Zhouyi ZhengyiTuan commentary

Zhengyi says: Saying 'The Taming Power of the Great is firm, strong, solid, and substantial' explains the meaning of Daxu. 'Firm and strong' refers to Qian: Qian's form is firm and its nature is strong, hence 'firm and strong.'

'Solid and substantial' refers to Gen: Gen's form is still and resting, hence 'solid and substantial.'

'Radiates brilliance and daily renews its virtue' means that because of being firm, strong, solid, and substantial, it can shine brilliantly and daily enhance and renew its virtue. Without firmness and strength, it would be feeble and weak, inevitably retreating when weary.

Without solidity and substance, it would be hollow and shallow, inevitably withering after flourishing; how could it long maintain brilliance and daily renew its virtue?

Regarding the commentary 'Whenever things withdraw after being sated' to 'solely firm, strong, solid, and substantial'—Zhengyi says: 'Whenever things withdraw after being sated, it is due to weakness' explains 'firm and strong' in the classic.

If not firm and strong, one grows tired and withdraws; being firm and strong, one's endeavors daily advance without retreat. 'Whenever they wither after blossoming, it is due to shallowness' explains 'solid and substantial' in the classic.

Things that bloom temporarily only to fall immediately do so because their substance is hollow and flimsy. If one is earnest, thick, full, and substantial, one constantly preserves glory and beauty without falling. 'Firmness ascends and honors the worthy.'

Zhengyi says: 'Firmness ascends' refers to Nine at the Top. Qian's firmness moves upward, and Nine at the Top does not resist it; this is honoring the worthy.

Regarding the commentary 'This refers to Nine at the Top' to 'what is meant by honoring the worthy'—Zhengyi says: 'This refers to Nine at the Top' means that the virtue of Nine at the Top sees Qian advancing upward without resisting, which is honoring the worthy.

'Dwelling above and achieving great permeability' explains Nine at the Top's 'carrying Heaven's highway, success'—dwelling above in permeability. Residing above and responding below to Heaven, it possesses the virtue of great permeability.

'When firmness arrives, it does not resist': possessing great permeability, seeing Qian arrive without resisting is the meaning of 'honoring the worthy.' Zhengyi says: Explaining the meaning of 'furthering through correctness.'

Why Gen can stop Qian's strength is because its virtue is capable of great correctness, hence 'able to stop strength.' From 'Not eating at home brings good fortune' to 'responding to Heaven.'

Zhengyi says: 'Not eating at home brings good fortune: nurturing the worthy' explains why not letting the worthy eat at home brings good fortune.

Because those above possess the substance of Great Accumulation, they nurture these worthy people and do not leave them to eat at home.

'Furthering to cross the great river: it responds to Heaven' means that by honoring the worthy and responding to Heaven with great correctness, one can surmount perils and hardships, hence 'furthering to cross the great river.'

Regarding the commentary 'Possessing the substance of great accumulation' to 'it furthers one to cross the great river'—Zhengyi says: 'Honoring the worthy and restraining strength' means Nine at the Top does not resist the arrival of firmness, which is 'honoring the worthy.'

Gen being able to restrain firmness is 'restraining strength.' Hence the classic above says: 'Firmness ascends and honors the worthy.' Wang's commentary says: 'This refers to Nine at the Top.' It also says: 'Able to stop strength, great correctness.'

Wang's commentary says: 'Nothing is stronger than Qian, yet it is able to restrain it; without great correctness, none could achieve this.' This discusses the Gen trigram as a whole.

Clearly, 'honoring the worthy' refers to Nine at the Top, while 'restraining strength' refers to the Gen trigram.

'Great correctness responds to Heaven' refers to Gen: as stated earlier, 'able to stop strength, great correctness'—stopping strength is Gen; responding to Heaven means the upper trigram Gen responds to the lower trigram Qian, hence 'responding to Heaven.'

This takes the upper and lower trigrams as corresponding, not referring to a single yin and single yang corresponding.

Zhouyi ZhengyiGreat Image

From 'The Xiang says' to 'to accumulate his virtue.' Zhengyi says: 'Heaven within the mountain' takes the idea of accumulating virtue within oneself, hence 'Heaven within the mountain.'

'The noble person, by remembering many words of the past and deeds of the former, accumulates his virtue': the noble person models himself on this 'Great Accumulation.'

When things are greatly accumulated, virtue must also be greatly accumulated; therefore, he records and remembers many words of previous generations and deeds of past worthies, hearing much and seeing much to accumulate his own virtue, hence 'to accumulate his virtue.'

Regarding the commentary 'Among things that can be stored' to 'exhausted in this'—Zhengyi says: What can be stored in one's bosom so that one's morality and virtue are not cast aside and scattered is solely storing 'words of the past and deeds of the former' in the bosom, which prevents virtue from dissipating.

It is only this and nothing more; hence it is said: 'It is exhausted in this.'

Sources

I Ching · #26 The Taming Power of the Great → Almanac for this date →