Hexagram 28 of 64
大过 dà guò
Great Excess
兑 (duì, Lake) above · 巽 (xùn, Wind) below
The Judgment 卦辞
The load is past bearing — the ridgepole is sagging. Ordinary caution will not do: this calls for extraordinary measures, or a graceful retreat before the break.
The Image 大象
The lake floods the tree: great excess. The wise person stands alone without fear, and withdraws from the world without sorrow.
The six lines 爻辞
Each line of 大过 has its own classical text. If a line in your cast is changing, its text is the heart of your reading.
Line 1 · 初六
Laid on a mat of white grass — extraordinary care with what is precious. No blame.
「藉用白茅，无咎」
Line 2 · 九二
The withered poplar sprouts; the old man wins a young wife. Life returns to the exhausted — nothing amiss.
「枯杨生稊，老夫得其女妻，无不利」
Line 3 · 九三
The ridgepole sags. The structure itself is failing — misfortune.
「栋桡，凶」
Line 4 · 九四
The ridgepole rises and holds — good fortune. But reaching for more bends it again.
「栋隆，吉，有它吝」
Line 5 · 九五
The withered poplar flowers; an old woman takes a husband. A late bloom — no blame, no praise. It will not last.
「枯杨生华，老妇士夫，无咎无誉」
Line 6 · 上六
Crossing until the water covers your head. Misfortune — but no blame: some crossings are chosen.
「过涉灭顶，凶，无咎」
If you drew this in a reading
A demanding pattern. This is one of the demanding patterns. It does not say "doom" — it says "the way through is narrow." Slow down, protect what matters, refuse shortcuts, and let the hexagram teach you the specific discipline it describes.
In yes/no questions this hexagram leans no — the pattern counsels holding back.
The trigrams give the flavor: 兑 (Lake) above — joyous openness — exchange, persuasion, pleasure shared — over 巽 (Wind) below — gentle penetration — gradual influence, flexibility, patience. Where those two energies meet, 大过 is born.
Ask Bu Gua — cast the coins for your question →