損 → 履

Commentary

Mountain above lake transforms into heaven above lake — Treading. The sea is the ancestor of all waters, wise and sagely in its depth. A hundred streams flow toward it in willing allegiance; none rebels or resists. The sea is always generous, always sufficient. The verse celebrates natural authority that commands loyalty through sheer capacity — the sea receives all rivers because it occupies the lowest ground. From Decrease to Treading, the mountain above the lake reconfigures as heaven above lake: proper hierarchy established through natural placement. Treading means walking carefully in the presence of something greater. The sea's supremacy arises from its willingness to be below, which is Decrease's own teaching: diminish the self to become the natural destination of all abundance.