既濟 → 遯

Commentary

Water sits above fire, but this verse is a modern rewrite. The original reads: 'Sitting rigidly until dusk, petitions go unanswered. Beneficent moisture does not fall; governance is perverse, the people suffer.' The scene is of a supplicant waiting all day at the gate of power, receiving nothing. The rain that should nourish the land is withheld; misgovernance dries up the blessings that should flow downward. From After Completion to Retreat, fire-and-water balance yields to heaven beneath the mountain — withdrawal as strategic necessity. When the court is deaf and the rains have stopped, the wise person retreats rather than continuing to beg at closed doors. Retreat here is not defeat but the recognition that some doors will never open.