臨 → 蠱

Commentary

Earth above the lake meets wind beneath the mountain — the corruption of Work on the Decayed. Fire ignites in the moon's den; above and below, beneficence is sealed shut. Disorder assails the state. The 'moon's den' — the place where yin force is most concentrated — erupts in flame, an impossible inversion. When grace between ruler and ruled is blocked, the natural order itself convulses. From Approach to Work on the Decayed, the elder's protective presence fails: what should have been generous oversight has allowed rot to fester beneath the surface. Wind trapped under the mountain cannot disperse the stagnation. The fire born in the yin's deepest chamber signals that corruption has reached the very core, and the state shudders under its weight.