大有 → 大畜

Commentary

Young sacrificial animals wrapped in silken cocoon-cloths are offered with reverence to honored spirits. Those who partake of the feast receive blessings and numerous descendants. Yet the verse darkens: the awaited one does not arrive, and the sage Confucius finds himself stranded at Chen. The term 繭栗 refers to the horns of young sacrificial animals still small as silkworm cocoons and chestnuts — the most tender and pure offerings. The shift to Confucius's hardship at Chen alludes to the famous episode where the sage ran out of food between Chen and Cai. From Great Possession to Great Taming, fire over heaven becomes heaven stored within the mountain. Even the most sincere offerings and accumulated virtue cannot prevent the sage from suffering unjust privation — yet it is precisely such taming through adversity that refines character.