恆 → 姤

Commentary

Thunder above wind, Duration's enduring effort, meets heaven above wind — Coming to Meet's unexpected encounter. Nine ascents and ten climbs, yet the horse stumbles and cannot advance. Guan Zhong comes to assist, and only then can the mountain be scaled. The verse likely alludes to Duke Huan of Qi's northern expedition, during which Guan Zhong's strategic counsel saved the army from impassable terrain. According to tradition, when the army was lost in a desert, Guan Zhong released old horses to follow their instinct back to the road. The repeated climbing suggests exhausting persistence that reaches its limit. From Duration to Coming to Meet, the wind beneath heaven signals an unexpected arrival — the counselor who appears just when endurance alone proves insufficient.