I Ching Reading

Hexagram 64: Before Completion

未濟 · Wèi Jì · Fire over Water

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Before Completion (未濟, Wèi Jì) is hexagram 64 of the 64 hexagrams of the I Ching, in the traditional King Wen order. It is made of Fire (☲) above Water (☵).

Meaning of hexagram 64

Not quite there. You are close to your goal, but the last step is the trickiest and calls for care.

Advice

Do not celebrate early, look before you leap and finish what you started.

The two trigrams

Before Completion places ☲ Fire (Lí), bright, clinging and clear, above ☵ Water (Kǎn), deep, flowing and dangerous. The lower trigram is the inner side of the situation and the upper one its outer side.

Hexagram
64. Before Completion
Chinese name
未濟 Wèi Jì
Upper trigram
☲ Fire (Lí)
Lower trigram
☵ Water (Kǎn)
Lines
3 yang (solid) and 3 yin (broken)
Place in the sequence
64 of 64 (King Wen order)

The six lines of Before Completion

A hexagram is read from the bottom line up. In a reading, a changing line (a 6 or a 9 in the three-coin method) draws attention to its position.

  1. First line (yin, broken): the beginning. The root of the matter: early stirrings, foundations, and what has not yet shown itself.
  2. Second line (yang, solid): the inner circle. Your immediate surroundings and steady supports: how things work at close range.
  3. Third line (yin, broken): the threshold. A point of tension between inner and outer, often a test or a restless push forward.
  4. Fourth line (yang, solid): the approach. Stepping into wider circles or nearer to authority; caution and good relationships matter here.
  5. Fifth line (yin, broken): the center of power. The place of influence and clear leadership: where the situation is most fully expressed.
  6. Sixth line (yang, solid): the culmination. The far edge of the situation: completion, overreach, or letting go.

Related hexagrams