Hexagram 64 of 64
Before Completion 火水未济
☲☵ Fire over Water
Not yet complete; keep going.
Hexagram 64 is the last in the book and describes what is not yet finished. The image of a fox that almost crosses the stream and wets its tail says the essential thing: the end is the delicate part. It favours order and attention precisely when it looks done.
Judgment
亨。小狐汔济，濡其尾，无攸利。
Success. A young fox almost crosses the stream but wets its tail. Nothing is favorable.
Image
火在水上，未济；君子以慎辨物居方。
Fire above water: before completion. The noble person distinguishes things and keeps each in its proper place.
The six lines
Read from the bottom line (the beginning) to the top line (the outcome). Each line gives the classical text, our English translation, and a plain-language reading.
初六：濡其尾，吝。
Wetting the tail. Distress.
Starting without measuring the step leaves avoidable wear.
九二：曳其轮，贞吉。
Dragging the wheel. Steady perseverance brings good fortune.
Moderating the pace now is what lets you arrive.
六三：未济，征凶，利涉大川。
Not yet across; advancing by force brings misfortune. It is favourable to cross the great water.
Brute force is useless here. Preparing the crossing is not.
九四：贞吉，悔亡。震用伐鬼方，三年有赏于大国。
Steady perseverance brings good fortune and regret disappears. With energy one campaigns against the land of demons; in the third year there is reward from the great kingdom.
The long task asks for constancy and realistic timelines, not instant heroics.
六五：贞吉，无悔。君子之光，有孚，吉。
Steady perseverance brings good fortune, without regret. The light of the noble person is sincere: good fortune.
Quiet clarity, without noise, sustains what is nearly finished.
上九：有孚于饮酒，无咎。濡其首，有孚失是。
There is sincerity in drinking. No blame. But if the head gets wet, sincerity is lost.
Celebrating is fine; celebrating before finishing undoes what was gained.
In practice
Love and relationships
If something is about to be settled, do not assume it is settled. One calm final conversation clarifies more than a celebration.
Work and decisions
Check the last details of the project before delivering. That is where trust is won or lost.
Money
Do not expand risk when the result is close. Close what is open and keep reserves.
How to use this reading
Use it when something is nearly finished. The useful question is: which last detail, if I neglect it, would cost me what I have already gained?
New to the method? Start with the six-line basics.
For cultural reflection only. This is not a prediction guarantee or professional advice.