未濟 → 姤

Commentary

Fire above water, and the vitex tree is choked by overgrowth. Trees crowd the male vitex, growing wild beside the mountain, blocking it from light. Enemies nurse mutual hatred at each other's backs; who would be willing to welcome the other? The vitex (牡荊) was a humble plant associated with austere self-discipline, yet here it is smothered by unchecked growth. From Before Completion to Coming to Meet, fire-over-water transforms into heaven with wind moving beneath — the unexpected encounter, the uninvited guest. Coming to Meet warns against the yin line that infiltrates from below. The verse dramatizes this wariness: when hostility is structural and deep-rooted, any encounter is suspected of being an ambush rather than a meeting.