YisdomYour wisdom for the changing moment

All hexagrams · ← 63 · 1 →

未濟 64 · Wèi Jì · Before Completion

Fire over Water — upper Lí (clinging, radiant, clarifying); lower Kǎn (deep, dangerous, flowing)

Hexagram 64, Before Completion (Wèi Jì, 未濟), is Fire over Water. Fire over water. Not yet across; the fox’s tail must stay dry.

The situation

Fire over water. Not yet across; the fox’s tail must stay dry.

The counsel

Careful deliberation before the final step. The transition is not yet made.

The six lines

Line 1 — Tail in the water. Humiliating.
Line 2 — Braking the wheels. Persist; good.
Line 3 — Attacking before completion. Misfortune; cross the water.
Line 4 — Persist; remorse vanishes. Three years of shock, then reward.
Line 5 — The light of the noble is true. Good.
Line 6 — Drinking wine in confidence. No blame; but wet the head and lose it.