小過大有

Hexagram 62: Small Exceeding → Hexagram 14: Great Possession

小過
Small Exceeding
Mountain / Thunder
大有
Great Possession
Fire / Heaven
Changing LinesStable Lines

Changing Lines

This transformation involves 3 changing lines (lines 2, 3, 4).

Line 2

六二 過其祖。遇其妣。不及其君。遇其臣。无咎。

guòbypassing
one's own
ancestor
to meet with
one's own
grandmother
not
to reach
one's own
jūnleader
but meeting with
that
chénminister
no
jiùblame

Six in the second place means: She passes by her ancestor And meets her ancestress. He does not reach his prince And meets the official. No blame.

Line 3

九三 弗過防之。從或戕之。凶。

it
guògo beyond
fángto defend
zhīoneself
cóngfrom behind
huòsomebody
qiāngassault
zhīthis one
xiōngunfortunate

Nine in the third place means: If one is not extremely careful, Somebody may come up from behind and strike him. Misfortune.

Line 4

九四 无咎。弗過遇之。往厲必戒。勿用永貞。

avoid
jiùharm
it
guògo beyond
to greet
zhīanother
wǎnggoing
difficult
and require
jièprecaution
do not
yòngpractice
yǒnglasting
zhēnpersistence

Nine in the fourth place means: No blame. He meets him without passing by. Going brings danger. One must be on guard. Do not act. Be constantly persevering.

Trigram Changes

Upper TrigramMountain FireKeeping Still → The Clinging
Lower TrigramThunder HeavenThe Arousing → The Creative

Yilin Verse

剛柔相呼,二姓為家。霜降既同,惠我以仁。

Left hand holds the lantern, right hand holds the umbrella. Walking together through wind and rain — the whole road feels warm.

— Jiao Yanshou, Yilin (Forest of Changes), 1st century BCE

Commentary

Thunder rumbles above the mountain, but the original verse speaks of gentle union: hard and soft call to each other, two surnames join as one household. After the frost falls together, kindness and benevolence are bestowed. The imagery is matrimonial — the complementary pairing of yang and yin principles formalized through marriage rites, sealed by shared hardship (frost), and sustained by mutual care. The two surnames (二姓) joining is the classical formula for marriage: different clans uniting to create a new household. From Small Exceeding to Great Possession, the mountain's modest thunder becomes fire blazing high in heaven — abundance born from proper union. What began as small domestic excess — going slightly beyond propriety to offer warmth — becomes the radiant fullness of a partnership that generates more than either party alone could possess.

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