艮 → 剝

Commentary

Twin mountains stand still, but within the chamber two women share a room, their hearts so troubled they cannot eat. Hair disheveled like tangled weeds, anxiety lives permanently in their breast. The image recalls the Shijing's domestic tension: women confined together in jealousy or grief, each the other's rival or mirror of misery. From Keeping Still to Splitting Apart, mountain rests upon the earth but its base is eroding. Splitting Apart strips away support layer by layer until only the topmost line remains. The two women's mutual misery is this erosion made human — each presence diminishes the other, and the shared dwelling becomes a site of slow collapse rather than shelter.