Hexagram 34 大壯, Line 3
大壯
Hexagram 34 · third line, undivided (nine)
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.
James Legge (1882), public domain.
Small image (小象)
小人用壯，君子罔也。
If only this line changes, hexagram 34 becomes hexagram 54.
← Hexagram 34 大壯: judgment and all lines
Character glossary
- 小xiǎosmall, tiny, insignificant
- 人rénman, person; people
- 用yòngto use, to employ, to apply; use
- 壯zhuàngbig, large; robust, strong; the name of
- 君jūnsovereign, ruler, prince, monarch, chief
- 子zison, child; seed, egg; fruit; small thin
- 罔wǎngnone; to deceive; to slander
- 貞zhēnvirtuous, chaste, pure; loyal
- 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
- 也yěalso, too
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.