Hexagram 28: Great Preponderance

Hexagram 28, Great Preponderance (Dà Guò, 大过), is formed of the upper trigram Lake (兑) over the lower trigram Wind (巽). Below is the classical judgment, the six line texts, and how to read this hexagram in a reading.

The Judgment

Trigrams

The outer (upper) trigram Lake describes the situation as it meets the world; the inner (lower) trigram Wind describes its inner disposition. Together they set the theme of Great Preponderance.

The Six Lines

• 初六 · Line 1 Spreading white rushes beneath the offering — utmost care. No blame.藉用白茅，无咎。
• 九二 · Line 2 A withered poplar sprouts new shoots; an old man takes a young wife. Nothing fails.枯杨生稊，老夫得其女妻；无不利。
• 九三 · Line 3 The ridgepole buckles — misfortune.栋桡，凶。
• 九四 · Line 4 The ridgepole braced high: good fortune. Ulterior motives bring shame.栋隆，吉；有它，吝。
• 九五 · Line 5 A withered poplar blooms; an old woman takes a young husband. No blame, no praise.枯杨生华，老妇得其士夫，无咎无誉。
• 上六 · Line 6 Wading beyond one's depth, the water closes overhead: misfortune — yet no blame.过涉灭顶；凶，无咎。

Reading Hexagram 28 for Your Question

When Great Preponderance appears without changing lines, the judgment above stands as the whole answer. When you cast changing lines (a 6 or a 9), read those line texts first — they are the most specific guidance — then look to the relating hexagram they form for where the situation is heading. For love, career, or a decision, apply the theme of Great Preponderance to your own circumstances rather than reading it as a fixed prediction.