I Ching · King Wen 64
Hexagram 64: Before Completion
䷿ 未濟 Wèi Jì · also called Not Yet Fording, Not Yet Across, Nearly There · The Clinging above The Abysmal
The crossing almost made: every line out of place, the end in sight, and the last step the most dangerous.
transitionthresholdcarediscernmentthe last step
The meaning of Hexagram 64
Water below, fire above: fire rising and water sinking, the two not yet meeting. Every line is in the wrong place, the exact reverse of After Completion, and the book ends here, on the threshold. Before Completion describes the moment just before a transition is achieved, when the way across is visible and the fox is nearly over the ice. The tradition's judgement is success, and then the warning: if the little fox, nearly across, gets its tail in the water, nothing furthers. The image asks for careful discrimination of things so that each finds its place. The reading says you are near the end of something, that the outcome is favourable, and that the last step needs more care than all the others together.
The image. Fire over water; the wise person is careful in distinguishing things so that each finds its place.
- Advice
- The end is near; take the last step with more care than all the others, and set each thing in its place.
- Warning
- The little fox that thinks it is across before it is gets its tail wet and loses the crossing.
over
Structure: ☵ The Abysmal (Water) below, ☲ The Clinging (Fire) above. Nuclear hexagram 63, After Completion. Every line reversed: 63, After Completion.
Hexagram 64 for love and relationships
Almost there, and not yet. The reading is hopeful and it asks for care in the last stage: do not assume the crossing is made, do not let the tail in the water. Distinguish what belongs where, patiently, and the order comes.
Hexagram 64 for career
The end is in sight and the situation is still unresolved. Success is possible and the final step is the risky one. Sort things carefully into their places, do not celebrate early, and keep your footing on the last stretch of ice.
Hexagram 64 for money
A transition nearly complete. Do not release your caution before the last payment clears, the last document signs, the last step is taken. The reading is favourable and its whole emphasis is on finishing carefully.
Hexagram 64 for decisions
You are close to resolution. Choose the option that finishes carefully rather than the one that assumes it is already done. The reading favours discernment over speed at the threshold.
The six changing lines
Read from the bottom. A changing line flips, and the hexagram it changes into is named with each.
There is drinking of wine in genuine confidence. No blame. But if one wets his head, he loses it in truth.
Celebration after the crossing, permitted, and the last warning of the book: even the earned celebration, if it goes too far, loses what was won. Moderation in joy. The I Ching ends on the edge of excess, with the counsel to stop.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 40, Deliverance. Read line 6 →
Persistence brings good fortune. No remorse. The light of the superior person is true. Good fortune.
The crossing achieved by the person whose clarity and truth have carried it: the new order established and recognised. The line is the reward of the hexagram, and it is given to sincerity.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 6, Conflict. Read line 5 →
Persistence brings good fortune. Remorse disappears. Shock, thus to discipline the Devil's Country. For three years, great realms are awarded.
The decisive struggle, long and hard, that the transition demands, and the reward that follows it. The line asks for persistence through years of effort and promises that the effort is paid.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 4, Youthful Folly. Read line 4 →
Before completion, attack brings misfortune. It furthers to cross the great water.
The moment of transition, when one's own strength is not enough for a direct attack and the way through is a larger, well-supported undertaking. The line is against the frontal push and for the big crossing made properly.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 50, The Cauldron. Read line 3 →
He brakes his wheels. Persistence brings good fortune.
Patience while the time is not ripe: the capable person holding back, ready but not moving. The brake is applied deliberately. The line credits restraint in someone who could act.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 35, Progress. Read line 2 →
He gets his tail in the water. Humiliating.
Rushing the crossing at the start and getting caught. The impulse to be finished before the conditions allow. The line is a small humiliation and a useful one: the lesson is learned early.
Changing, it becomes Hexagram 38, Opposition. 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 64 mean?
- The crossing almost made: every line out of place, the end in sight, and the last step the most dangerous. Water below, fire above: fire rising and water sinking, the two not yet meeting. Every line is in the wrong place, the exact reverse of After Completion, and the book ends here, on the threshold. Before Completion describes the moment just before a transition is achieved, when the way across is visible and the fox is nearly over the ice. The tradition's judgement is success, and then the warning: if the little fox, nearly across, gets its tail in the water, nothing furthers. The image asks for careful discrimination of things so that each finds its place. The reading says you are near the end of something, that the outcome is favourable, and that the last step needs more care than all the others together.
- What does Hexagram 64 mean for love?
- Almost there, and not yet. The reading is hopeful and it asks for care in the last stage: do not assume the crossing is made, do not let the tail in the water. Distinguish what belongs where, patiently, and the order comes.
- Which hexagram does Hexagram 64 change into?
- It depends on which lines change. With one changing line: line 1 gives Hexagram 38, Opposition; line 2 gives Hexagram 35, Progress; line 3 gives Hexagram 50, The Cauldron; line 4 gives Hexagram 4, Youthful Folly; line 5 gives Hexagram 6, Conflict; line 6 gives Hexagram 40, Deliverance. With every line changing it becomes Hexagram 63, After Completion.