小過 → 蹇

Commentary

Thunder rumbles above the mountain, and a sheep is lost — but a cow is caught instead. No loss, no worry. The verse is disarmingly simple: what seems like misfortune (losing the sheep) is compensated by a greater gain (catching the cow). The cow is worth more than the sheep; the trade, though unplanned, is favorable. No elaborate moral, no tragic arc — just the quiet arithmetic of exchange where the universe occasionally rounds up. From Small Exceeding to Obstruction, the mountain's thunder transforms into water pooling atop the mountain — danger that blocks the forward path. Yet the verse's message cuts against Obstruction's grimness: even when the road ahead is difficult, what you lose may be replaced by something of greater value. The obstacle itself redirects toward a better outcome.