I Ching · Hexagram 28 of 64
28. Dà Guò 大過 · Great Exceeding
By Destiny Kua · Updated
The load is too heavy. Change something, and soon.
- Upper trigram
- Lake 兌
- Lower trigram
- Wind 巽
What hexagram 28 means
Dà Guò is the image of a ridgepole sagging under too much weight. Things are out of balance, with too much pressure in the middle. The advice is to act, and act soon, but gently. Extraordinary times call for extraordinary measures.
Hexagram 28 in daily life
At work
The load is unsustainable. Restructure, delegate or cut back now.
In relationships
Something is carrying too much weight. Talk about it before it breaks.
For yourself
You are overloaded. Lighten the load.
The six changing lines
If your cast included changing lines (a 6 or a 9), read the matching lines below. Line 1 is the bottom line.
| Line | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Line 1 | Laying white rushes beneath: take extra care at the start. No blame. |
| Line 2 | A dry willow sprouts new shoots. Unexpected renewal. |
| Line 3 | The ridgepole sags. Misfortune; don't force it. |
| Line 4 | The ridgepole is braced. Good fortune, but don't be tempted by other motives. |
| Line 5 | A dry willow flowers. Short-lived renewal; no blame, no praise. |
| Line 6 | Wading too deep, over your head. Misfortune, but no blame. |
The two trigrams
The lower trigram, Wind 巽 (Xùn), stands for your inner state and the root of the situation. The upper trigram, Lake 兌 (Duì), stands for the outer circumstances. In element terms this is Metal over Wood. Wind is the trigram of Kua 4 and Lake is the trigram of Kua 7.
Related hexagrams
- Opposite (every line changed): 27. Yí 頤 · Nourishment
- Trigrams swapped: 61. Zhōng Fú 中孚 · Inner Truth
Questions to reflect on
- What load is too heavy right now?
- What can I change before it breaks?
- What unusual step is called for?
Our line summaries are written in plain English in our own words, based on the traditional meanings. For reflection and entertainment, not prediction or professional advice.