Hexagram of the Day Sunday, March 29, 2026: #62 Preponderance of the Small (小过)

'Small' refers to yin. In this Gua, four yin lines are without and two yang lines are within; yin exceeds yang, so the small preponderates. Having exceeded the yang, there can be success; yet it must be advantageous to maintain constancy, so one must not fail to be heedful.

The second and fifth lines of the Gua both attain the Central Position through yielding, so small matters are permissible; the third and fourth lines both lose their position through firmness and are not central, so great matters are not permissible.

The Gua's structure is solid within and hollow without, like a bird in flight whose voice descends rather than ascends; therefore, being able to elicit the response of the flying bird's lingering notes, it is fitting to descend, bringing great good fortune—this also falls into the category of not undertaking great matters.

This explains the Gua's name, meaning, and text through the structure of the Gua. In terms of the second and fifth lines. In terms of the third and fourth lines. In terms of the Gua's structure.

There is thunder upon the mountain; its sound is slightly excessive. The excesses in these three things are all excesses of the small. One may exceed in small matters, but must not exceed in great ones; one may exceed slightly, but must not exceed excessively.

This is what the Judgment calls 'small matters are permissible, and it is fitting to descend.'

Sequence of the Guas: 'One who possesses sincere trust will certainly act upon it; hence it is received by Preponderance of the Small.' What people trust they will surely put into action, and action entails exceeding; this is why Preponderance of the Small succeeds Inner Truth.

As a Gua, there is thunder upon the mountain: thunder claps from on high, its sound exceeding the ordinary, hence Preponderance of the Small. Furthermore, yin occupies the honored seat while yang loses its position and is not central: the small exceeds its ordinary measure.

It signifies that the small preponderates, that small matters are exceeded, and that the excess itself is small. Exceeding means surpassing the ordinary norm, like bending something crooked past straight to make it right—excess is used to achieve correctness.

Affairs have times when this is natural: there are matters that require slight excess before they can achieve success; thus Preponderance of the Small inherently contains the meaning of success.

'Advantageous to be steadfast': the way of exceeding finds advantage in correctness; not departing from timeliness is what is called correctness. Exceeding is done in order to seek the Mean. What is exceeded are small matters; how could great matters ever be exceeded?

This was discussed in detail under Great Preponderance. 'The flying bird leaves its sound' means the excess is not far removed. 'Not fitting to ascend, fitting to descend' means it is fitting to be compliant.

Compliance brings great good fortune; exceeding to attain it means following principle. Exceeding while according with principle, its good fortune is bound to be great.

Yang is great and yin is small. Yin attains the position while firm lines lose their positions and are not central; this is the small exceeding. Hence it means exceeding in small matters, and the excess being small.

Small people and small matters at times ought to exceed, yet the excess is slight; hence it is called Preponderance of the Small. Some matters indeed require slight excess before they can achieve success, which is why excess can bring success.

'Exceeding yet advantageous to be steadfast' means moving with the time. When the time calls for exceeding, exceeding is actually not excess; it is what the time requires, and is what is meant by correctness.

The Dao of Preponderance of the Small brings good fortune when there is slight excess in small matters, whereas the Judgment explains good fortune in terms of the Gua's endowment: 'the yielding attains the center'—the second and fifth lines reside in the middle; yin yielding attaining position can only bring good fortune in small matters, it cannot accomplish great affairs.

'The firm loses its position and is not central'—hence great matters are not permissible. Great affairs cannot be accomplished without firm and yang talent: the third is not central and the fourth has lost its position, which is why great matters cannot be done.

In the time of Preponderance of the Small, great matters are naturally impermissible, and the Gua's endowment is also inadequate for great undertakings, fitting the moment.

'There is the image of a flying bird'—this sentence does not resemble the style of the Judgment; it is likely an explanatory note mistakenly inserted into the text. Solid in the center and soft on the outside: this is the image of a flying bird.

The Gua possessing this image, the meaning is drawn from the flying bird. Affairs at times ought to exceed in order to follow what is fitting, yet how could one exceed drastically?

Such as being excessively respectful, excessively mournful, or excessively thrifty; great excess is impermissible, which is why it lies in Preponderance of the Small.

The excess should be like the lingering sound of a flying bird: the bird flies swiftly, and as its cry rings out, its body has already passed; yet how could they be far apart?

Matters that ought to exceed are just like this: the body cannot be far removed from the sound, and matters must not stray far beyond their ordinary norm; it lies in attaining what is fitting.

'Not fitting to ascend, fitting to descend' further draws the meaning of compliance from the bird's cry: the way of excess should be like the lingering note of a flying bird.

When sound goes against the wind and ascends, it is difficult; when it flows with it and descends, it is easy. Thus thunder sounding high upon the mountain is why it is excessive.

The way of excess brings good fortune when moving compliantly, just like the lingering cry of a flying bird, where it is fitting to descend. The reason one exceeds is to comply with what is fitting; being able to comply with what is fitting, it brings great good fortune.

Thunder shakes upon the mountain, its sound exceeding the ordinary; hence it is Preponderance of the Small. In the affairs of the world, there are times when slight excess is appropriate, but one must not exceed drastically; hence it is called Preponderance of the Small.

The noble person observes the image of Preponderance of the Small: in matters where slight excess is fitting, he exerts himself—in conduct, exceeding in reverence; in mourning, exceeding in grief; in expenditure, exceeding in frugality.

To exceed when one ought to exceed is proper fittingness; to exceed when one should not is true error.

The flying bird leaves its sound, mourning as it seeks a resting place: the higher it ascends, the less it finds anywhere to go; descending, it attains peace. The higher it goes, the more exhausted it becomes; nothing illustrates this better than a flying bird.

'The small' refers to all minor matters; exceeding in small matters leads to success. To exceed yet attain advantage through steadfastness is to accord with the timeliness of the moment. Applying excess to reverence and frugality is what is advantageous in steadfastness.

Accomplishing great deeds must rely on firmness. When yielding gradually expands, it is the way of Splitting Apart. 'Not fitting to ascend, fitting to descend' is the very image of the flying bird.

Ascending means Riding on firmness, which is contrary; descending means Supporting yang, which is compliant. Applying excess in opposition brings the greatest misfortune; applying excess in compliance turns excess into good fortune.

From 'Preponderance of the Small, success' to 'great good fortune.'

Sub-commentary: 'Preponderance of the Small, success': 'Preponderance of the Small' is the name of the Gua. Under Hexagram Great Preponderance, Wang Bi noted: 'Pronounced with the sound of guo as in passing each other.'

Fearing people would take it in the sense of fault and crime, he glossed the pronunciation. Thus the meaning of 'Preponderance of the Small' is the same as that one.

Exceeding in small matters is called Preponderance of the Small, which is what is meant by 'in conduct exceeding in reverence, in mourning exceeding in grief.'

Master Chu said: 'It refers to when the conduct of petty people has minor faults, and the noble person adopts excessively earnest conduct to rectify them, like Yanzi wearing a fox-fur robe.'

This means that because petty people have faults, the noble person acts with excessive earnestness; it does not mean that the Gua's name is explained directly by 'faults and sins.'

The Judgment says: 'Preponderance of the Small: the small exceeds and achieves success,' meaning that through slight excess success is attained, proving it is not sinful guilt.

Therefore Wang glossed the sound under Great Preponderance, clarifying that although the meaning encompasses surpassing faults, it fundamentally refers to the noble person adopting excessive conduct.

Zhou and others failed to grasp this principle and explained the Gua's name solely through guilt and transgression, going far astray. Exceeding in small matters allows the Dao to prevail; hence it says: 'Preponderance of the Small, success.'

'Advantageous to be steadfast': rectifying the world and inspiring custom, advantage lies in returning to correctness; hence 'advantageous to be steadfast.'

'Small matters are permissible, great matters are not permissible' refers to the time: when there are minor errors, one can only rectify them with small matters, not correct them with grand undertakings; hence 'small matters are permissible, great matters are not.'

'The flying bird leaves its sound: not fitting to ascend, fitting to descend, great good fortune': this uses a metaphor to show that excessively earnest conduct can bring good or bad fortune.

The flying bird leaves its cry, mourning as it seeks a perch: if it flies higher, it finds nowhere to settle; if it descends, it does not lose its peace.

This illustrates that when the noble person is in a time of minor errors and practices excessive earnestness, if he establishes himself compliantly, there is good fortune; if he opposes superiors and offends them, there is misfortune.

Hence it says: 'The flying bird leaves its sound: not fitting to ascend, fitting to descend, great good fortune.' Compliance means keeping to humility and dwelling below; defiance means offending the ruler and encroaching on superiors.

Thus the minister's defiance or compliance is analogized to the bird's ascending or descending.

Note: 'The flying bird' to 'seeking a resting place.'

Sub-commentary: 'The flying bird leaves its sound, mourning as it seeks a resting place': 'yi' means lost. When a bird loses its voice, it must be in distress, having found no place to rest. The Analects says: 'When a bird is about to die, its cry is mournful.'

Thus we know that the left-behind sound is a mournful cry.

Sub-commentary: This explains the name of Preponderance of the Small and clarifies its virtue of success.

Exceeding in minor matters is called Preponderance of the Small; according with the time to reform customs, though exceeding, one achieves success; hence it says: 'The small exceeds and achieves success.'

Sub-commentary: This explains the virtue of 'advantageous to be steadfast': through excessive conduct, one attains the advantage of steadfastness.

Yet bending the crooked past straight to correct it responds only to temporary necessity and cannot be made permanent; hence it says: 'moving with the time.'

Sub-commentary: This explains 'small matters are permissible, great matters are not' through Six in the Second Place and Six in the Fifth Place dwelling in the middle with yielding, Nine in the Fourth Place losing position and not being central, and Nine in the Third Place attaining position but not being central.

A yielding and compliant person can only conduct small matters; yielding and attaining the center, he acts in small matters fittingly; hence 'good fortune in small matters.'

A firm and strong person can conduct great affairs; losing position and lacking centrality, his conduct of great affairs is untimely; hence 'great matters are not permissible.'

Sub-commentary: This explains why other creatures were not used as a metaphor, but only the 'flying bird': because 'not fitting to ascend, fitting to descend' matches the image of a flying bird.

Sub-commentary: This explains why 'not fitting to ascend, fitting to descend, great good fortune' through Six in the Fifth Place Riding on the firmness of Nine in the Fourth Place, and Six in the Second Place Supporting the yang of Nine in the Third Place.

Ascending means Riding on firmness, which is contrary; descending means Supporting yang, which is compliant. Hence 'not fitting to ascend, fitting to descend, great good fortune,' because ascending is contrary and descending is compliant.

Sub-commentary: Where thunder arises, it normally does not leave the earth. Now it bursts forth above the mountain, exceeding its original station; hence it is called 'Preponderance of the Small.'

The faults of petty people lie in negligence, ease, and extravagance; therefore the noble person corrects them by exceeding in reverence in conduct, exceeding in grief in mourning, and exceeding in thrift in expenditure.