需 → 既濟

Commentary

Clouds above heaven settle into water above fire — After Completion's perfect but precarious balance. 'Dwelling at leisure by the Stone Gate, emoluments secure and person whole. Receiving blessings from the western neighbor, one returns to drink from the Jade Spring.' The Stone Gate may allude to Confucius's gatekeeper at the Stone Gate who recognized the sage's futile persistence, or simply a rocky retreat of safety. The 'western neighbor' echoes the Jici hexagram's famous line about the western neighbor's simple offering outweighing the eastern neighbor's grand sacrifice. The Jade Spring suggests paradisiacal water — pure, sustaining, perhaps immortal. From Waiting to After Completion, every element finds its place: water cools fire, security is achieved, and one drinks deeply from the source of lasting nourishment.