Ta Kuo
Preponderance of the Great
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THE JUDGMENT
PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT.
The ridgepole sags to the breaking point.
It furthers one to have somewhere to go.
Success.
The weight of the great is excessive. The load is too heavy for the strength of its supports. The ridgepole on which the whole roof rests, sags to the breaking point, because its support ends are too weak for the load they bear. It is an exceptional time and situation; therefore ordinary measures are demanded. It is necessary to find a way of transition as quickly as possible, and to take action. This promises success. For although the strong element is in excess, it is in the middle, that is, at the center of gravity so that a revolution is not to be feared. Nothing is to be achieved by forcible measure. The problem must be solved by gentle penetration to the meaning of the situation; then the change-over to other conditions will be successful. It demands real superiority; therefore the time when the great preponderates is a momentous time.
THE IMAGE
The lake rises above the trees:
The image of PREPONDERANCE OF THE GREAT.
Thus the superior man, when he stands alone is unconcerned,
And if he has to renounce the world, he is undaunted.
Extraordinary times when the great preponderates are like flood when the lake rises above the treetops. But such conditions are temporary. The attitude proper to such exceptional times: the symbol of the trigram Sun is the tree, which stands firm even though it stands alone, and the attribute of Tui is joyousness, which remains undaunted even if it must renounce the world.
THE LINES
Six at the beginning means:
To spread white rushes underneath.
No blame.
When a man wishes to undertake an enterprise in extraordinary times he must be extraordinarily cautious, just as when setting a heavy thing down on the floor, one takes care to put rushes under it, so that nothing will break. This caution, though it may seem exaggerated, is not a mistake. Exceptional enterprises cannot succeed unless outmost caution is observed in their beginnings and in the laying of their foundations.
Nine in the second place means:
A dry poplar sprouts at the root.
An older man takes a young wife.
Everything furthers.
Wood is near water; hence the image of an old poplar sprouting at the root. This means an extraordinary situation arises when an older man a young girl who suits him. Despite of the unusualness of the situation all goes well. From the point of view of politics, the meaning is that in exceptional times one does well to join with the lowly, for this affords a possibility of renewal.
Nine in the fifth place means:
A withered poplar puts forth flowers exhausts its energies thereby and only hastens its end. An older woman may marry once more, but no renewal takes place. Everything remains barren. Thus, though all the amenities are observed the net result is only the anomaly of the situation. Applied to politics, the metaphor means that if in times of insecurity we give up alliance with those below us and keep up only with the relationships we have with people of higher rank, an unstable situation is created.
