Possession in Great Measure (Dayou Hexagram) First Yang Line: A Common Pitfall for New Earners

Have you ever had one of those moments when you suddenly start making money?

It might be that your side hustle takes off, your salary gets a huge bump, or you land a hefty bonus for a project. For the first time, you’ve got some savings stashed away, and you’re over the moon—like the good days have finally arrived.

Then what happens?

Then you start getting cocky. Things you used to hesitate to buy? You click “order” without blinking. Places you used to dare not go? You’re there all the time. People you used to keep at arm’s length? Suddenly you’re thick as thieves. You think you’ve made it, that the money will just keep rolling in from here on out—so what’s the harm in spending a little now?

How does it end? Six months or a year later, you look back and realize you barely saved any money, didn’t pick up any new skills, and instead ended up with a pile of unnecessary expenses and messy relationships you can’t keep up with.

Why does this happen?

The First Line (Nine at the Beginning) of the *Possession in Great Measure* hexagram is all about how to keep yourself in check when you first start making some money.

「无交害，匪咎，艰则无咎」 (No Harm from Associations, No Blame; Through Hardship, There Is No Blame)

The *Possession in Great Measure* hexagram means exactly what it sounds like—having everything in abundance: plenty of money, resources, and influence. It’s a very auspicious hexagram.

But the Nine at the Beginning is the very first line of this hexagram, representing the very start of the journey. At this point, even though you’ve entered the energy of *Possession in Great Measure*, you haven’t truly “made it big” yet—you’re just starting to see progress, build up some savings, and earn a little extra cash.

The Line Text (Yao Ci) for the Nine at the Beginning is: 「无交害，匪咎，艰则无咎。」

Having “no blame” mentioned twice in one line tells us something: this position doesn’t carry huge risks, but you still need to be careful.

Let’s break it down. First, *wu jiao hai* (no harm from associations)—what does “jiao” mean? It means interactions, making connections, socializing. “Hai” means harm, damage. “No harm from associations” means don’t make random friends, don’t get wrapped up in meaningless social obligations, and don’t try to force your way into every social circle—that’s how you avoid bringing trouble on yourself.

Why is making friends such a risk when you first get money?

Because as soon as you have money, people start coming out of the woodwork. Folks you barely heard from before suddenly pop up. People who used to look down on you are suddenly all warm and friendly. How many of these people actually have your best interests at heart? Most of them are just after your money.

You’ve just started earning a bit, and you haven’t learned how to read people yet. You think they’re being nice to you, that “more friends mean more paths forward.” But what happens? Today they borrow a little money, tomorrow they rope you into an investment, the next day they pitch you some project to work on together. Before you know it, that little nest egg you built is gone.

That’s why it says “no harm from associations”—when you’re just starting out, cut back on useless friendships and skip the meaningless gatherings. This isn’t saying you can’t socialize at all—it’s saying don’t socialize recklessly. When you don’t have much money, the simpler your social circle, the better.

匪咎 (Fei Jiu): You Haven’t Done Anything Wrong—But Don’t Let Your Guard Down

What does *fei jiu* mean? It means there’s no fault here, nothing to blame you for.

The Nine at the Beginning is a Yang Line in a Yang position—firm, upright, and hardworking. Why does it get to be part of the *Possession in Great Measure* hexagram? Because it’s steady, it gets the work done, and it earned every bit of what it has step by step. So it’s done nothing wrong; its money is hard-earned, clean money.

But then why does it also say “through hardship, there is no blame”?

Because money changes people.

When you have no money, you’re grounded, you work hard, you know exactly what you’re capable of. But as soon as you get a little cash, it’s easy to get carried away. You think you’re hot stuff, that things you never dared to dream of before are now within reach, that making money isn’t actually that hard.

That’s when the danger starts.

“Through hardship, there is no blame”—what does that mean? It means if you always remember how hard things were at the start, and keep that same hardworking, humble mindset, you won’t run into trouble. The second you forget what it was like to struggle, the second you think making money is easy, losing it isn’t far behind.

Wen Laoshi often says: The moment money comes in is when people are tested the most.

When you have no money, your endurance is tested. When you have money, your self-control is tested. A lot of people can handle being poor, but they can’t handle being rich. When they’re broke, they’re honest and diligent. The second they have a little money, they get cocky, they act recklessly, they forget who they are. And in the end? They lose every bit of what they earned—sometimes even more.

That’s why right at the start of the *Possession in Great Measure* hexagram, you get a little warning: don’t celebrate too early. When you first start making money, that’s when you need to be the most careful.

Three Big Mistakes to Avoid When You Earn Your First Pile of Cash

Looking at the Nine at the Beginning of *Possession in Great Measure*, let’s talk about three mistakes people make when they first start earning money—things you should avoid at all costs.

First mistake: rushing to expand.

Your side hustle just starts picking up, and immediately you want to rent an office, hire people, build a whole team. You just got a raise, and you’re ready to quit your job and go all in on a startup. You think the momentum is so good, you have to strike while the iron is hot—you’ll never get another chance like this.

Wait a second.

First, figure this out: is the money you’re making now from your actual skills, or just luck? Is it sustainable, or did you just catch a lucky wave of good timing? Did you earn it through a solid system, or by burning yourself out working nonstop all by yourself?

A lot of people can’t tell the difference. They mistake luck for skill, and random chance for guaranteed success. After two months of good earnings, they think they’re business geniuses and start scaling everything at full speed. What happens? They lose money as soon as they expand, things fall apart as soon as they hire more people, and that little savings they worked so hard for gets wiped out in no time.

Why is this line called the Nine at the Beginning? Because it’s the first line—it’s the very start. When you’re just starting out, stay steady, build a solid foundation, work out the kinks in your model, and prove it can last. Don’t rush to expand.

Another meaning of “no harm from associations” is: don’t reach for things you don’t need, don’t make random investments, don’t expand recklessly. Doing a good job with what you already have is better than anything else.

Second mistake: rushing to enjoy the good life.

You just made some money, so you want to treat yourself—get a nice phone, a fancy bag, a better car, a nicer apartment. Makes sense, right? You work to spend money, after all.

But you have to draw the line somewhere.

If you’re making an extra 5,000 a month and you spend an extra 1,000 on treats for yourself, that’s totally fine. But if you’re making an extra 5,000 a month and you’re spending an extra 8,000 to upgrade your lifestyle? That’s a problem.

So many people do this: their income goes up, but their spending goes up even faster. Before, they made 5,000 and spent 3,000. Now they make 10,000 and spend 8,000—they’re not saving any more than before. What if your income drops later? Your lifestyle is already at that higher level, and you can’t scale back. What do you do then?

“Through hardship, there is no blame.” You have to stay mindful: earning money isn’t easy, so you should spend it carefully and plan for the future.

This isn’t about being a miser. It’s about living within your means and leaving a buffer. Good things should be savored slowly—don’t burn through all your good fortune at once.

Third mistake: rushing to make new friends.

As soon as you have money, you suddenly have more friends. The sooner you learn this lesson, the better.

When you were broke, there weren’t many people around you. You thought it was because you had a bad personality, or you were bad at socializing, or you were just quiet. Then you start making money, and suddenly everyone’s coming around. You think *you* changed—you’re more outgoing now, better at talking to people.

But that’s not it. It’s the money that changed.

Of course, some of these people are genuinely happy for you. But most of them are here for what they can get. Today they’ll take you out for dinner, tomorrow they’ll ask you for a favor, and the next day they might be trying to get money out of you.

You just started earning, you don’t have experience with this, and you can’t tell who’s who. You think if someone smiles at you, they’re a good person; if they say nice things, they’re a friend. You’ll figure it out after you get burned a few times—but by then, it might be too late.

That’s why it says “no harm from associations”—when you’re just starting out, don’t rush to make a bunch of new friends. Keep up with your old friends if that works, and take your time getting to know new people. Don’t pour your heart out right away, don’t jump into business partnerships immediately, and don’t lend people money without thinking it through.

Time will help you sort out who your real friends are.

「艰则无咎」 (Jian Ze Wu Jiu): Hold On to Your Original Purpose, and You’ll Hold On to Your Wealth

The Nine at the Beginning of *Possession in Great Measure* mentions “no blame” three times in just six characters: no harm from associations, no blame, through hardship there is no blame.

At its core, it all boils down to one thing: when you first start having money, don’t go stirring up trouble. Hold on to what you’ve saved, hold on to the drive you had when you first started, and hold on to your basic decency. If you can hold on to those things, you’ll hold on to your wealth too. If you can’t, no matter how much comes in, it’ll all slip away.

What does “through hardship, there is no blame” really mean? It means if you always remember what it was like when things were hard, you won’t make big mistakes.

If you remember when you could barely pay rent, you won’t spend money recklessly. If you remember when you were building your business alone in the dark, you won’t jump into random partnerships. If you remember when no one thought much of you, you won’t get carried away by a few compliments.

When times are hard, the test is whether you can endure. When times are good, the test is whether you can stay steady.

Enduring the hard times isn’t easy, but staying steady when things are good is even harder.

A lot of people can make it through the toughest days, but they trip up as soon as things start looking up. Why? Because when things are bad, everyone’s on high alert, everyone knows to be careful. When things are sweet, people let their guard down, they get careless, they think they’ve got it all figured out.

Carelessness is where trouble starts.

That’s why the *Possession in Great Measure* hexagram starts with a wake-up call: don’t celebrate too early. You’ve still got a long way to go.

Final Thoughts

The *Possession in Great Measure* hexagram is a good one—everyone wants to have abundance. But abundance doesn’t happen all at once. It’s built step by step, starting from the Nine at the Beginning.

At the start, you might only have “small abundance”—a little money, a few resources, a bit of recognition. The most important thing then isn’t how to get *more*—it’s how to keep what you already have.

If you can hold on to it, there’s even greater abundance ahead. If you can’t, it’ll all be for nothing.

No harm from associations, no blame, through hardship there is no blame.

If you’ve just earned your first real pile of cash, remember these three things: don’t make random friends, don’t go stirring up unnecessary trouble, and never forget how hard things were at the start.

Money comes fast, and it goes fast too. Only what you can keep is truly yours.