蹇 → 既濟

Commentary

Water on the mountain makes the road a succession of hillocks and ridges. Oxen and horses wind slowly through the switchbacks, struggling with every step. The cart cannot maintain its load — goods shift and tumble — and petitions go unanswered. The verse describes the frustration of a merchant or official whose journey is defeated by terrain: the cargo cannot be delivered, the request cannot be granted, and every ridge reveals another ridge beyond it. From Obstruction to After Completion, water sits above fire in perfect but precarious balance. After Completion represents the moment when everything is in its proper place — yet the verse's endless hillocks show the journey to that completion is agonizing. The pattern suggests that arriving at After Completion from Obstruction requires passing through every obstacle without shortcuts, and the very completeness of the suffering is what makes the final settling possible.