The wind encounters heaven.
What is weak comes forward.
Meeting brings both danger and opportunity.
The Judgment
This hexagram shows one yin line at the base, with five yang lines above — a configuration that speaks to the initial appearance of what has been absent or suppressed. The weak principle emerges not through conquest but through encounter, meeting the strong at the moment of its greatest confidence.
Such meetings are inherently volatile. What appears small and yielding may carry the seed of profound change. The danger lies not in the weakness itself but in underestimating its potential influence. What seems merely receptive often proves to be powerfully attractive, drawing the strong toward directions it had not considered.
The wise response is neither immediate rejection nor uncritical embrace. This is a time for discernment — recognizing that genuine encounters change both parties. What emerges may be beneficial transformation or subtle corruption. The difference lies in the quality of attention brought to the meeting itself.
The traditional counsel against giving the weak a position from which to dominate reflects not prejudice but recognition of pattern. When the receptive principle gains ascendancy through charm rather than merit, it tends toward manipulation rather than genuine leadership.
The Image
Under heaven there is wind. The superior man proclaims his charges to all quarters of the kingdom.
Wind moves everywhere under heaven, touching all things without being contained by any. This image suggests the proper response to what is emerging — not suppression but clear communication of principles and boundaries.
The superior man does not attempt to prevent the meeting but ensures that it occurs on solid ground. By proclaiming charges clearly, he creates a context in which what is beneficial can flourish while what is harmful reveals itself through its resistance to clarity.