Virtue, character, influence, moral force. A thing that is still is easy to hold. Given no omen, it is easy to plan.
Soft things are easy to melt.
Small particles scatter easily. The time to take care is before it is done. Establish order before confusion sets in. Tree trunks around which you can reach with your arms were at first only miniscule sprouts. A nine-storied terrace began with a clod.