Hexagram 34: 大壯 (dà zhuàng)
大壯
dà zhuàng · Legge: Ta Kwang
Lower trigram ☰ 乾 (Heaven), upper trigram ☳ 震 (Thunder)
Judgment
利貞。
Ta Kwang indicates that (under the conditions which it symbolises) it will be advantageous to be firm and correct.
Commentary on the judgment (彖傳)
大壯，大者壯也。剛以動，故壯。大壯利貞；大者正也。正大而天地之情可見矣！
The image (大象)
雷在天上，大壯；君子以非禮弗履。
The six lines
| Line | Chinese | Legge | Changes to |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 – – | 羝羊觸藩，不能退，不能遂，无攸利，艱則吉。 | The sixth line, divided, shows (one who may be compared to) the ram butting against the fence, and unable either to retreat, or to advance as he would fain do. There will not be advantage in any respect; but if he realise the difficulty (of his position), there will be good fortune. | 14 |
| 5 – – | 喪羊于易，无悔。 | The fifth line, divided, shows one who loses his ram(-like strength) in the ease of his position. (But) there will be no occasion for repentance. | 43 |
| 4 — | 貞吉悔亡，藩決不羸，壯于大轝之腹。 | The fourth line, undivided, shows (a case in which) firm correctness leads to good fortune, and occasion for repentance disappears. (We see) the fence opened without the horns being entangled. The strength is like that in the wheel-spokes of a large waggon. | 11 |
| 3 — | 小人用壯，君子用罔，貞厲。羝羊觸藩，羸其角。 | The third line, undivided, shows, in the case of a small man, one using all his strength; and in the case of a superior man, one whose rule is not to do so. Even with firm correctness the position would be perilous. (The exercise of strength in it might be compared to the case of) a ram butting against a fence, and getting his horns entangled. | 54 |
| 2 — | 貞吉。 | The second line, undivided, shows that with firm correctness there will be good fortune. | 55 |
| 1 — | 壯于趾，征凶，有孚。 | The first line, undivided, shows its subject manifesting his strength in his toes. But advance will lead to evil,—most certainly. | 32 |
Lines are numbered from the bottom. Each line page shows the line text with its small image commentary; each “changes to” link opens the reading for that changing line.
Related hexagrams
- Inverse (lines in reverse order): hexagram 33
- Opposite (every line changed): hexagram 20 · reading
- Nuclear (lines 2–4 and 3–5): hexagram 43
English: James Legge, The Yî King, Sacred Books of the East vol. 16 (1882) — public domain; OCR text of the 1882 printing, checked against the proofread hexagrams. Chinese: Zhou Yi from Chinese Wikisource.
Character glossary
- 利lìgains, advantage, profit, merit
- 貞zhēnvirtuous, chaste, pure; loyal
- 壯zhuàngbig, large; robust, strong; the name of
- 于yúat, in, on; to, from; alas!
- 趾zhǐtoe; tracks, footprints
- 征zhēngto summon, to recruit; levy, tax; journe
- 凶xiōngculprit; murder; bad, sad
- 有yǒuto have, to own, to possess; to exist
- 孚fúto brood over eggs; to have confidence
- 吉jílucky, propitious, good
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 人rénman, person; people
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 罔wǎngnone; to deceive; to slander
- 厲lìwhetstone; to grind, to sharpen, to whet
- 羝dīram, he-goat
- 羊yángsheep, goat
- 觸chùto butt, to gore, to ram; to touch
- 藩fānboundary, fence, outlying border
- 羸léiexhausted, weak; emaciated, lean
- 其qíhis, her, its, their; that
- 角jiǎoangle, corner; horn, horn-shaped
- 悔huǐto regret, to repent, to show remorse
- 亡wángdeath, destruction; to lose; to perish
- 決juéto decide, to determine, to judge
- 不bùno, not, un-; negative prefix
- 大dàbig, great, vast, high, deep
- 轝yùenvy; hate, dislike; resentment
- 之zhīmarks preceding phrase as modifier of fo
- 腹fùstomach, belly, abdomen; inside
- 喪sàngmourning; mourn; funeral
- 易yìto change; to exchange, to trade; simple
- 无wúno, not; lacking, -less
- 能néngcan, may; capable, full of energy
- 退tuìto retreat, to step back, to withdraw
- 遂suìto fail; to follow, to comply with
- 攸yōudistant, far; adverbial prefix
- 艱jiāndifficult, hard; hardship
- 則zérule, law, regulation; grades
Data: English Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0); Chinese Wikisource (Public domain texts; transcription CC BY-SA 4.0). Retrieved 2026-10-22.