I Ching · King Wen 63
Hexagram 63: After Completion
䷾ 既濟 Jì Jì · also called Already Fording, Already Across, Completion · The Abysmal above The Clinging
Every line in its proper place: the crossing made, order achieved, and the only remaining task to keep it from decaying.
completionordervigilancemaintenancetransition
The meaning of Hexagram 63
Fire below, water above: water over fire, a pot on a flame in perfect balance, as long as nothing shifts. Every line of After Completion is in its correct position, yang in the odd places and yin in the even. It is the hexagram of order achieved, and the tradition immediately warns what follows: success in small matters, persistence furthers, at the beginning good fortune, at the end disorder. Perfection has nowhere to go but down. The image is of the wise person who takes thought of misfortune and arms against it in advance. The reading says the goal has been reached, or nearly, and that the work now is maintenance: attention to small things, vigilance, and the refusal to relax because things look complete.
The image. Water over fire; the wise person takes thought of misfortune and arms against it in advance.
- Advice
- The crossing is made; attend to the small things and guard the order against its own decay.
- Warning
- Relaxing because everything is in order is the first move of the disorder that follows completion.
over
Structure: ☲ The Clinging (Fire) below, ☵ The Abysmal (Water) above. Nuclear hexagram 64, Before Completion. Every line reversed: 64, Before Completion.
Hexagram 63 for love and relationships
Things are in order and the reading says this is the moment of greatest risk, not because anything is wrong but because nothing is. Keep attending to the small things. The relationship that assumes it is finished is the one that starts to decay.
Hexagram 63 for career
The project is done, the position reached, the structure in place. Now maintain it. Small matters only; no large new ventures on the strength of the completion. Watch for the first signs of slippage and arm against them.
Hexagram 63 for money
Goals met, affairs in order. The reading warns against the complacency that follows success. Keep the discipline that got you here; the disorder at the end comes from relaxing it.
Hexagram 63 for decisions
Decide for maintenance and small adjustments, not for the next great thing. The reading is favourable in small matters and warns that the end of completion is disorder unless it is guarded.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
He gets his head in the water. Danger.
Looking back at the completed crossing instead of ahead, and going under. The fox that turned to admire the far bank and was swept away. The line ends the hexagram with the danger of dwelling on what is finished.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 37, The Family. Read line 6 →
The neighbour in the east who slaughters an ox does not attain as much real happiness as the neighbour in the west with his small offering.
Sincerity beats splendour: the modest, heartfelt offering is received and the lavish, hollow one is not. In a time of completion, what matters is not the scale of the gesture but its truth.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 36, Darkening of the Light. Read line 5 →
The finest clothes turn to rags. Be careful all day long.
The first signs of decay in what looked perfect, and the vigilance the whole day demands. Rags under the finery. The line is the hexagram's image of maintenance: constant care against the fraying.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 49, Revolution. Read line 4 →
The Illustrious Ancestor disciplines the Devil's Country. After three years he conquers it. Inferior people must not be employed.
A long, exhausting campaign to finish what completion left unfinished, and the warning that the people who helped win it must not be given the power afterwards. Success is expensive, and its distribution is a second test.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 3, Difficulty at the Beginning. Read line 3 →
The woman loses the curtain of her carriage. Do not run after it; on the seventh day you will get it back.
A loss of the means to be seen and to act, in a time of completion when the capable are overlooked. The line says not to chase it: what is rightfully yours returns in its own time.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 5, Waiting. Read line 2 →
He brakes his wheels. He gets his tail in the water. No blame.
Restraint at the very moment of success, holding back from rushing forward. The fox wets its tail and slows down. The line approves of caution while everyone else is celebrating.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 39, Obstruction. Read line 1 →
Related hexagrams
Cast your own reading
Ask a question and toss six lines. The oracle does not choose the hexagram for you; the coins do.
Ask the I Ching →Common questions
- What does I Ching Hexagram 63 mean?
- Every line in its proper place: the crossing made, order achieved, and the only remaining task to keep it from decaying. Fire below, water above: water over fire, a pot on a flame in perfect balance, as long as nothing shifts. Every line of After Completion is in its correct position, yang in the odd places and yin in the even. It is the hexagram of order achieved, and the tradition immediately warns what follows: success in small matters, persistence furthers, at the beginning good fortune, at the end disorder. Perfection has nowhere to go but down. The image is of the wise person who takes thought of misfortune and arms against it in advance. The reading says the goal has been reached, or nearly, and that the work now is maintenance: attention to small things, vigilance, and the refusal to relax because things look complete.
- What does Hexagram 63 mean for love?
- Things are in order and the reading says this is the moment of greatest risk, not because anything is wrong but because nothing is. Keep attending to the small things. The relationship that assumes it is finished is the one that starts to decay.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 63 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 39, Obstruction; line 2 gives Hexagram 5, Waiting; line 3 gives Hexagram 3, Difficulty at the Beginning; line 4 gives Hexagram 49, Revolution; line 5 gives Hexagram 36, Darkening of the Light; line 6 gives Hexagram 37, The Family. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 64, Before Completion.