恆 → 萃

Commentary

Thunder above wind, Duration's steady course, gathers into lake above earth — Gathering's dangerous convergence. The eastern neighbor suffers bitterly; the ruler disturbs the heavenly order. Greedy for emoluments and favor, one will surely reap the blame. The 'eastern neighbor' (東鄰) in Yilin parlance often refers to the Shang dynasty or its successors — those whose rituals were elaborate but whose virtue had decayed. The ruler who 'disorders heaven's pattern' has violated the cosmic mandate through corruption and self-indulgence. From Duration to Gathering, the steady pattern concentrates into a dangerous pooling of forces. When what gathers is not virtue but greed, the convergence becomes explosive. The lake rising upon the earth threatens to overflow, and the greedy ruler who hoards favor instead of distributing it invites the flood of retribution.