晉 → 鼎

Commentary

Fire rises above the earth, yet the scene below is grim. Five sharp iron blades replace proper jaw-bones — an image of harsh instruments substituted for natural function. Granaries and storehouses stand empty, the market yields no profit, and commerce becomes the enemy of prosperity rather than its engine. The 'five sharp iron jaws' may allude to oppressive taxation or military requisition that strips the economy bare: blades where there should be nourishment, emptiness where there should be abundance. From Progress to the Cauldron, the transformation offers a corrective. Fire above wood in the Cauldron refines raw material into something civilized. But when the raw materials have been consumed by iron jaws, the cauldron has nothing to cook. The vessel of transformation stands empty.