未济
64. Before Completion
wèi jì; Not yet across
Judgment
未济：亨，小狐汔济，濡其尾，无攸利。
Success. But if the little fox, after nearly completing the crossing, gets his tail in the water, there is nothing that would further. The last step is the most dangerous. The Book of Changes ends here: change never ends; everything is in process.
Image
火在水上，未济；君子以慎辨物居方。
Fire over water: the image of the condition before transition. The noble person is careful in differentiating things, so that each finds its place. In transition, clarify the position of every element.
Lines
- Line 1, yin (six)
初六：濡其尾，吝。
He gets his tail in the water. Humiliating. Eager to finish without the capacity to do so.
- Line 2, yang (nine)
九二：曳其轮，贞吉。
He brakes his wheels. Perseverance brings good fortune. Control the pace deliberately during transition.
- Line 3, yin (six)
六三：未济，征凶，利涉大川。
Before completion, attack brings misfortune. It furthers one to cross the great water. Don't force it—but outside strength can carry you across.
- Line 4, yang (nine)
九四：贞吉，悔亡，震用伐鬼方，三年有赏于大国。
Perseverance brings good fortune. Remorse disappears. Shock, thus to discipline the Devil's Country. For three years, great realms are rewarded. Long, determined effort is eventually rewarded.
- Line 5, yin (six)
六五：贞吉，无悔，君子之光，有孚，吉。
Perseverance brings good fortune. No remorse. The light of the noble person is true. Good fortune. Near the end of transformation, the leader's character becomes the guiding light.
- Line 6, yang (nine)
上九：有孚于饮酒，无咎，濡其首，有孚失是。
There is drinking of wine in genuine confidence. No blame. But if one wets one's head, one loses it, in truth. Celebrate—with measure.
In the enterprise
The hexagram of transition, transformation in progress and the 'last mile': mid-transformation, the eve of a deal closing, pre-launch, the execution phase of strategy. The Book of Changes ends with 'Before Completion': every achievement is provisional, every completion a new beginning.
Psychological lens
Resonates with the goal-gradient effect (acceleration—and error—near the goal) and growth mindset; the top line is self-control in celebration.
Related hexagrams
63. 既济 After Completion
Lines 2–4 and 3–5: the hidden dynamics inside the situation.Opposite
63. 既济 After Completion
Every line reversed: the shadow side and blind spots.Inverse
63. 既济 After Completion
The figure turned upside down: the counterpart's or stakeholder's view.King Wen pair
63. 既济 After Completion
Situations in the library that use this hexagram
- The last mile of a transformation Enterprise, Judgment
- Digital projects left unfinished Enterprise, Line 1, yin (six)
- Before completion: always on the way Enterprise, Line 5, yin (six)
- Always giving up halfway Individuals, Line 1, yin (six)
- Facing impermanence Individuals, Judgment
- Financial plans that keep failing Individuals, Line 2, yang (nine)
- Anxiety about age Individuals, Line 5, yin (six)
- Returning to study after a break Individuals, Line 3, yin (six)
- Cross-cultural identity Individuals, Judgment
- Life as completion and incompletion Individuals, Judgment
Situation readings are a reflective framework for discussion—not predictions and not a substitute for professional advice.