Great strength keeps the ritesGreat Power
At your strongest is exactly when to be most careful.
Da Zhuang: four yang below, two yin above — yang at its zenith. Yet the ram butts the hedge and, in winning, most easily wedges itself. Every great strength is an accelerating train; braking is the craft. Da Zhuang does not forbid movement; it demands measured movement. Yielding when yielding fits — that is real strength.
The last line is striking: the ram loses its horns at the gate — no regret. Losing them, it no longer butts; no longer butting, it no longer sticks. Grip hardest when strongest and the force spends itself on you.
Practice Find somewhere you recently won — a project, an argument, a comparison. Ask: what did winning cost? Write the cost down.