Hexagram 64 · Before Completion
未 · Wèi Jì
The Judgment
Before Completion. Success. But if the little fox, after nearly completing the crossing, gets his tail in the water, there is nothing that would further. The elements are all present but not yet in their places. The goal is close and entirely reachable, provided the final steps are taken with the same care as the first.
The Image
Fire over water: the image of the condition Before Completion. Thus the superior man is careful in the differentiation of things, so that each finds its place. He sorts before he acts.
Interpretation
You are near the end of something and not yet across. Everything necessary is available, but nothing is settled, and the final stretch is where most crossings fail. The little fox in the Judgment is the perfect warning: it has nearly reached the far bank, gets confident, and soaks its tail in the last few steps. So keep the discipline you had at the beginning. Take stock carefully, put things in their proper order before pressing on, and do not celebrate early. The lines describe a long, patient effort that eventually succeeds through steadiness rather than brilliance. Because this is the last hexagram of the book, it carries a deliberate open ending: completion is never final, and every arrival is the beginning of another crossing. That is the reason for the caution and also the reason for hope. Finish this well, allow yourself the wine and the genuine confidence of the final line, but keep your head dry.
Love
You are close to a real understanding or a new stage together, but it is not yet secure. Keep making the effort you made at the start. Do not assume anything is settled, and do not let impatience spoil the last stretch.
Career
The project is nearly there. Attend to the final details, verify what you assumed, and resist the urge to announce victory early. Sort the remaining pieces into their proper order, keep the pace steady, and the completion will hold once it arrives.
Advice
Finish the last stretch with the same care you brought to the first, and keep your tail dry.
Line by line
He gets his tail in the water; humiliating. Rushing forward before you understand the crossing leaves you wet and embarrassed at the very start. Assess the depth of the water before you enter it.
He brakes his wheels; perseverance brings good fortune. Hold yourself back deliberately even though you are eager and capable. Restraint here is strength, and it preserves you for the moment when movement is right.
Before completion, attack brings misfortune, yet it furthers one to cross the great water. You lack the strength to force the issue, but with the right allies the great crossing can still be made.
Perseverance brings good fortune and regret disappears. Shock, thus to discipline the Devil's Country; after three years great realms are awarded. Sustained, vigorous effort over a long period is finally and fully rewarded.
Perseverance brings good fortune and no regret. The light of the superior man is true; good fortune. Inner clarity has become visible to everyone, and its genuineness is what carries the work through.
There is drinking of wine in genuine confidence; no blame. But if one wets his head, he loses it in truth. Celebrate the achievement honestly, then stop before celebration turns into carelessness.