Hexagram 63
After Completion
既濟
Upper
Water · 坎
the abysmal, danger
Lower
Fire · 離
the clinging, clarity
Contemporary judgment
After completion. The work has been accomplished; the goal has been reached. But do not relax your attention: entropy begins the moment completion is declared. The art now is the maintenance of what has been achieved, which is less dramatic than the achieving but just as essential.
Image
Water above fire. The superior person, in peace, does not forget danger, and takes precautions against possible calamity.
Counsel
Celebrate briefly, then return to careful attention. Identify the quiet ways what you have built might begin to decay, and address them before they grow. Do not assume success maintains itself. Humility and vigilance now are the foundation of lasting accomplishment.
The six lines
Numbered from the bottom upward; displayed here from first to sixth.
Line 1
A nine at the beginning means: He brakes his wheels. He comes with his tail into the water. No blame.
Line 2
A six in the second place means: The woman loses her carriage-curtain. Do not run after it. On the seventh day you will get it.
Line 3
A nine in the third place means: The high ancestor chastises the devil's land. After three years he overcomes it. One should not employ petty people.
Line 4
A six in the fourth place means: The finest clothes turn to rags. Be cautious the whole day long.
Line 5
A nine in the fifth place means: The neighbor in the east, who slaughters an ox, does not obtain as much real happiness as the neighbor in the west with their small offering.
Line 6
A six at the top means: He comes with his head into the water. Danger.
Contemporary sections are original app interpretations. Line text comes from the CC0 translation in jesshewitt/i-ching.