The fourth line brings great possession into the upper trigram and immediately narrows its focus to discretion. Legge's translation describes distinguishing what one has from what belongs to another, without excessive display, and states that this discretion keeps one blameless amid abundance. Where the third line's generosity was outward and visible, the fourth line's virtue is quieter: knowing the line between one's own resources and another's, and refusing to flaunt possession even where flaunting it might be possible.
This line opens the upper trigram Li, fire's own clarity, and occupies an even position with a yang stroke, a placement classical commentary reads as structurally incorrect. Coming directly beneath the ruling fifth line, this position carries particular exposure: proximity to the seat of authority makes restraint here matter more than at any earlier station, since a display of wealth or capability too close to the ruler risks being read as rivalry rather than mere abundance.
Read within the hexagram's movement, the fourth line functions as a hinge between the generosity of the line below it and the trusted centrality of the line above it. Neither hoarding nor performing, this line's entire counsel is proportion: know clearly what is one's own, hold it without display, and let that discretion, rather than any grander gesture, be what keeps blame away.