Hexagram 14: 大有

dà yǒubig domain

Upper TrigramFire
Lower TrigramHeaven

Judgment

big, great, major, complete, vast, large
yǒudomain, dominion, possession, attainment
yuánmost; first-rate, supreme, excellent
hēngfulfilling; fulfillment, satisfaction, success

Possession in Great Measure. Supreme success. Strength and clarity unite. Power expresses itself in graceful and controlled way, bringing wealth through proper administration.

Image

huǒfire, flame
zàiin, within
tiānheaven, the sky
shàngabove, on high
big
yǒudomain
jūnnoble, worthy, honored
young one, heir, disciple
accordingly, therefore, thus
èsuppresses, represses, curtails, prevents
èevil; bad, wrongness; the repugnant, vile
yángpromotes, advances, spreads, sows
shàngoodness, virtue, excellence; the good
shùnaccepting, obeying, complying with
tiānheaven's, higher nature's, celestial
xiūterms, ends; sufficiencies; favor, blessings
mìnghigher law, higher order, charges

Fire in heaven above: the image of Possession in Great Measure. The sun brings both good and evil into light. Man must curb evil and promote good, serving benevolent will.

Digital Artifact

Stewart Brand's Whole Earth Catalog

Stewart Brand (1968)

Before you could Google anything, Brand created a catalog that gave you access to tools—literal and conceptual. The subtitle: 'Access to Tools.' Not hoarding tools. Not controlling access. Providing it. Fire (clarity of curation, what's actually useful) in Heaven above (universally accessible, high-minded purpose). The Whole Earth Catalog didn't sell you things—it showed you where to get things, how to evaluate them, why they mattered. Possession in great measure: not the catalog possessing tools but users possessing knowledge of tools. Brand positioned himself humbly—not as authority but as facilitator. One weak line (editorial voice) holding strong lines (all those tools, techniques, resources) through modest curation. The last issue's back cover: 'Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.' Possession handled correctly: shared, made mobile and useful, placed at disposal of anyone who needed it. Supreme success through unselfish modesty.

Historical Context

Period
Zhou Dynasty
Oracle Bone Etymology
Fire (☲) above, Heaven (☰) below—fire in heaven shines far, making all things manifest. Weak fifth line in place of honor holds strong lines through modest virtue.
Traditional Use
The classical text describes this as possession determined by fate, accorded with time. True possession comes through unselfish modesty—the weak line has power over strong lines through virtue, not force.

Lines

Line 1: 無交害匪咎艱則無咎

having, with no; denying, avoiding
jiāointeraction, exchange, commerce, business
hàiwith trouble, harm, injury, suffering
fěito never to be; do, have, make, no
jiùin errors, wrong; mistakes; faults, flaws
jiānthis is difficulty, hardship; tedious
but otherwise, beyond this; warrants
no; without; not no is done
jiùblame; mistake, error; harm

Line 2: 大車以載有攸往無咎

great, big, mighty, heavy
chēwagon, cart, vehicle, carriage
is used for the purpose of; a way to
zàiundertake, carry, transport, haul, loading
yǒuto have, find, taking on; if there is
yōusomewhere; a place, direction, purpose
wǎngto go, move towards; in going; ahead
is not, no; nothing; avoids
jiùmistake, error; is wrong; blame

Line 3: 公用亨于天子小人弗克

gōnghigh noble, duke, lord, prince
yòngpresents, makes, consecrates, dedicates
hēngfulfillment, offering, sacrifice, tributes
to, for, with respect to
tiānof heaven's; the imperial, celestial
the son; heir, child
xiǎothe common, ordinary, average
rénfolk, people, ones
are not, un-, in-
able to, capable; cannot

Line 4: 匪其彭無咎

fěiit, this is not; not being
in one's own
péngplace of dominion, domain, power, drumroll
no; not; nothing; without, with no
jiùblame; is wrong; mistake, error

Line 5: 厥孚交如威如吉

juétheir, his, her, your
trust, confidence, truths, assurances
jiāocommerce, business, an exchange
resemble, seem, appears to be; is, are like
wēidignity; dignified, majestic, noble
assuming; if also
is promising, auspicious, hopeful, fortunate

Line 6: 自天祐之吉無不利

from, out of, by, through
tiānheaven, the sky
yòuis protection, succor, assistance, shelter
zhīis extended; extends, arrives, comes
promising, auspicious, hopeful, fortunate
without; there is nothing
doubt; that is not; which cannot be
worthwhile, turned to advantageous

Practical Guidance

You've got resources—technical capability, knowledge, access, infrastructure. The question isn't 'how do I hoard this' but 'how do I make this useful.' Here's what this probably means: possession in great measure isn't about quantity. It's about mobility and utility. Dead capital versus living capital. Stewart Brand understood this. The Whole Earth Catalog's subtitle: 'Access to Tools.' Not hoarding tools. Not controlling access. Providing it. Brand curated, pointed, evaluated. He made the implicit explicit, the hidden visible, the scattered organized. Fire in heaven—illumination from a position of strength—making all things manifest. Your version: code that sits unused in a private repository versus open-source libraries anyone can fork. Knowledge locked in your head versus documentation others can access. Infrastructure you built and gatekeep versus platforms you opened. The catalog's last issue said 'Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish.' Brand maintained his role as humble curator even as the catalog became culturally massive. He never claimed to be the source of the tools, only the facilitator of access. That modesty is what gave him power over the strong lines—all those resources, techniques, entire knowledge domains. The practical consequence: platform thinking over product thinking. You succeed not by hoarding what you possess but by making it accessible, well-documented, easy to deploy. The classical text says the curator's role is 'combat and curb what is harmful, promote and favor what is good.' You've got the illuminating position—fire in heaven, everyone can see what you highlight. Use it to make clear distinctions. This tool works, that one's broken. This practice is sound, that one's harmful. This approach scales, that one collapses. The failure mode: treating possession as private property to protect. The classical text warns directly: petty men are harmed by great possessions because they keep them for themselves. The talented engineer who won't share knowledge. The company that patents everything and ships nothing. The architect who hoards architectural decisions. Great possession handled this way becomes great burden. Brand's catalog sold 1.5 million copies and influenced everything from the internet to maker culture. That's supreme success through making possession useful to others.

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