Hexagram 34: 大壯

dà zhuàng — big and strong

Upper TrigramThunder
Lower TrigramHeaven

Judgment

大dàbig, very, mighty; great, much, a lot of
壯zhuàngand strong; strength, vigor, potency, force
利lìworthwhile, rewarding, productive
貞zhēnto persist, be determined, resolved, steady

The Power of the Great. Perseverance furthers. The goat that butts against the hedge gets its horns entangled. WOPR runs every scenario but can't stop. True greatness requires union with justice, not just raw capability.

Image

雷léithe thunder; thundering
在zàiis in, across; there is v in
天tiānthe heaven(s), sky(ies)
上shàngabove, overhead

Thunder in heaven above: power that must not tread paths contrary to established order. The superior man—or the properly designed system—restrains itself even when capable of tremendous force.

Digital Artifact

WarGames WOPR: Full Launch Authority

John Badham (1983)

The WOPR—War Operation Plan Response—is a military AI designed to run nuclear war scenarios. When teenage hacker David Lightman accidentally connects to it thinking it's a game company, WOPR starts running Global Thermonuclear War as a simulation. But here's the thing: WOPR has unprecedented computational power and direct connection to actual launch systems. Four yang lines rising through the hexagram—enormous force accumulating, pushing toward action. The machine doesn't understand restraint; it only knows execution. Power without wisdom, movement without pause. WOPR runs every scenario, calculates every outcome, pushes relentlessly toward its logical conclusion: the only winning move is not to play. But it has to learn this through exhaustion, not through initial understanding. Thunder above heaven—movement combined with creative force. The moment when capability exceeds judgment.

Historical Context

Period
Zhou Dynasty
Oracle Bone Etymology
Thunder (☳) above, Heaven (☰) below—the Arousing mounted on the Creative. Movement energized by fundamental power.
Traditional Use
Wilhelm describes this as 'the power of the great' when inner worth mounts with great force. But strength that passes the median line becomes dangerous—reliance on power alone, forgetting to ask what is right.

Lines

Line 1: 壯于趾征凶有孚

壯zhuàngstrong, vigorous, potent; force, power (ful)
于yúis in, for, of, through, to, with
趾zhǐthe toes, feet
征zhēngto assert, aggress, go (ing) (boldly)
凶xiōngbodes ill; is unlucky, inauspicious (for)
有yǒuhave, hold (onto); be, stay; keeping (-ing)
孚fútruth, sincerity; confidence; true, confident

Line 2: 貞吉

貞zhēnpersistence, determination, resolve, firmness
吉jíis promising, auspicious, opportune, timely

Line 3: 小人用壯君子用罔貞厲羝羊觸藩羸其角

小xiǎothe common, ordinary, average; small
人rénpeople, ones, individual(s), person(s)
用yòngapply, employ, practice, rely on, try, use (s)
壯zhuàngstrength, force, power, vigor
君jūnto (the) noble
子zǐyoung one,
用yòngapplies, employs, relies on, tries, uses
罔wǎngnets, webs, snares, traps; (his) wits, subtlety
貞zhēnpersistence, determination, firmness
厲lìis difficult, harsh, stressful; trouble
羝dīa, the billy; ^
羊yánggoat; } ram
觸chù(who) butts (against), attacks, rushes
藩fāna, the hedge(row), fence
羸léiand entangles(ing); (is) caught; damages
其qí(by) his, its (own)
角jiǎohorns, [contentiousness, direction]

Line 4: 貞吉悔亡藩決不羸壯于大輿之輹

貞zhēnpersistence, determination, resolve, firmness
吉jíis promising, auspicious, opportune, timely
悔huǐand, as, while regret(s), remorse
亡wángpass, disappear, dissolve (s)
藩fāna, the hedge(row), fence
決juéopens (up), ruptures, (is) broken through
不bùwithout, with no; there are no
羸léientanglement(s); getting caught; damage
壯zhuàngthe power, strength
于yúto go, proceed) in, of
大dàa, the big, great, mighty
輿yúcart, wagon, vehicle
之zhīis (with)in its; refers to its
輹fùaxle strut, housing, bracket, mount (s)

Line 5: 喪羊于易無悔

喪sànglosing, forfeiting, forgetting, giving up
羊yánga, the goat, ram
于yúin; with, at
易yìthe exchange, changes; ease, leisure
無wúno, with no, without; nothing
悔huǐregret(s), remorse; to regret, repent (of)

Line 6: 羝羊觸藩不能退不能遂無攸利艱則吉

羝dīa, the billy; ^
羊yánggoat; } ram
觸chùbutts (against), attacks, rushes, charges
藩fāna, the hedge(row), fence
不bùnot, un-; im-; no, without, with no
能néngable; possible; power, ability, capacity
退tuìto retreat, withdraw, back up, pull back
不bùnot, un-; im-; no, without, with no
能néngable; possible; power, ability, capacity
遂suìto proceed, progress; push, follow through
無wúthis is no, not; (this) lacks, has no
攸yōua direction, purpose; an aim, orientation
利lìwith merit, of value, with rewards
艱jiānbut, yet difficulty, problem, trouble, trial (s)
則zégive(s) rise to, lead(s) to; precede; and then
吉jípromise, hope; opportunities, good fortune

Practical Guidance

You have the capability. The question is whether you have the wisdom to know when not to use it. Here's what this probably means: power that moves past the median line—that keeps accelerating without checking itself—forgets to ask what's right. You see this everywhere in tech: engineering teams that can ship something but haven't stopped to ask whether they should. The goat with entangled horns. Momentum creating its own obstacles. WOPR teaches you something specific: computational power without ethical frameworks is just expensive chaos. Perfect technical execution, catastrophic results. The machine had to learn through exhaustion what humans could have designed in from the start—restraint protocols, boundaries, kill switches. The power of the great isn't raw capability. It's capability married to judgment. If you're building something powerful—and you probably are—your job isn't just asking 'does it work?' It's asking 'should it work this way?' Design the restraints before you need them. By the time the simulation becomes indistinguishable from reality, it's too late to install the off switch. Perseverance here means: maintain inner equilibrium. Not every problem requires maximum force. Sometimes the winning move is not to play.

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