恆 → 未濟

Commentary

Thunder above wind, Duration's final transformation, meets fire above water — Before Completion's unfinished crossing. A covered mirror emits no light; the patterns and colors cannot be seen. The young woman has no marketplace; she abandons her lord and departs. The tarnished mirror is Duration's culminating image of obscured constancy: what should reflect clearly has been covered, and the beauty that should attract finds no audience. The young woman without a market is talent without recognition — she gives up on the relationship because her worth goes unseen. From Duration to Before Completion, the enduring pattern arrives at the threshold of completion but cannot cross. Fire sits above water, unable to cook; the mirror stays dark. The verse closes the cycle with an image of potential unrealized — Duration that never quite achieved its purpose.